


Wrath of Magic

by twilightHDfan



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Merlin Big Bang 2012, Modern AU, Supernatural Elements, vampire AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-14
Updated: 2012-08-14
Packaged: 2017-11-12 03:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilightHDfan/pseuds/twilightHDfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU. Arthur Pendragon has hunted the creatures that lurked in the dark since he was old enough to hold a weapon. But when his father’s friend’s daughter, Sophia, goes missing, and he meets an odd Doctor called Merlin, who he can’t get out of his mind, he and his band of hunters, the Knights, will learn that not every creature is as dark as they thought. Will Arthur be able to figure it all out before the wrath of magic is released?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrath of Magic

**Author's Note:**

> A huge, huge thank you to jelazakazonefor the awesome beta'ing and arna12 for jumping in at the end. Huge thanks to lillithblack for the awesome, awesome artwork within. I can't believe I actually finished! Woo! Big thanks to the_muppetfor organising the BB.

Pushing himself to run faster, Arthur ignored the burning in his legs, reminding himself that if he let the creature go, that other innocent people could get hurt, _would_ get hurt. The thought helped, blocking out the pain, and allowing him to put on that extra burst of speed he needed to catch up to his target and tackle the thing to the ground.  
  
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it; Arthur had to use all his strength and skill to stop himself from being bitten. The creature, vampire, he reminded himself, rolled away from him, hissing as he stood up, eyes a glowing amber. There was a burning above his right eye that Arthur knew was a cut, which told him that the thing was probably smelling some of his blood, something viscous running down the side of his face.  
  
The vampires were the hardest thing to hunt, blending into society so well that the only way you could really tell them apart was when they felt threatened or when they were feeding. That’s when their fangs would descend and their irises would turn slightly amber. Other than that, they could walk down the street, past Arthur and his team, and none of them would be able to tell.  
  
Jumping to his feet, Arthur watched the creature, circling as the thing tried to move behind him. The creatures had speed, but Arthur knew that they liked to stalk their prey, to make them feel fear before they struck their killer blow, usually going straight for a person’s carotid.  
  
The stake in his hand calmed Arthur, allowing him to clear his mind, to watch and wait for the perfect moment to strike. The vamp moved the second that Arthur did, Arthur wondering in the split second before contact whether the vampire had moved at the same time as him, or had moved because of him. Either way it didn’t matter, Arthur positioned himself so that the thing impaled itself on his silver stake, the creatures eyes widening before it gave one last hiss, before it collapsed onto the ground.  
  
Letting out a shaky breath, Arthur looked down at the body, wondering if he would ever be able to stop that bit of guilt that always ran through him once the creatures were dead, when he looked down at the faces that were entirely too human, blank eyes staring back at him, almost accusingly. He winced as he moved his wrist, his arm and shoulder having taken the brunt of the vampire’s blow, and he had a feeling a trip to the hospital might be in order.  
  
“You alright there, Wart?” Leon asked, as he and the rest of Arthur’s team made their way around the corner.  
  
“Fine,” he replied, straightening up. “The others?”  
  
“Finished,” Gwaine replied, cocky grin on his face. “You know, I know you have this strange death wish, but if you’d just waited a few minutes, we could’ve backed you up, Princess.”  
  
“It would’ve gotten away,” Arthur replied, wincing again as he put his stake away, his wrist throbbing in a way that told him it was more than a sprain.  
  
“You hurt?”  
  
Looking up into concerned brown eyes, Arthur patted Lance on the shoulder, the medic of the team scowling at him as he walked past.  
  
“I’ll be fine,” he answered, limping a little as he realised his hip had taken some damage in the fracas as well.  
  
“Not really an answer to my question,” Lance replied, falling into step on his left, Leon on his right, while Gwaine, Elyan and Percival joked around behind them.  
  
“Might have hurt my wrist,” he said, gritting his teeth as he tried to move his hand, flinching as Lance reached out and stopped him, looked down and gently prodded his arm.  
  
“It’s swollen,” Lance murmured, looking up at him when Arthur flinched at his questing fingers. “Does that hurt?”  
  
“Did the bad vampire hurt you?” Gwaine asked, pinching Arthur’s cheeks. Flipping him off, Arthur let Lance finish his examination, before they continued on to their cars.  
  
“You need to get that looked at,” Lance said, glaring at Gwaine when the man went to say something. Gwaine held his hands up, all the men knew not to mess with Lancelot when he glared at them. “I think it may be broken.”  
  
“Fantastic, just what we need,” Arthur muttered.  
  
The Knights of the Round Table, or KRT for short, had only been running as a team for four months. It had started off with three members; Arthur, Leon and Lance, the three of them somehow finding their way together, all with horror stories of what monsters had done to their families.  
  
It wasn’t common knowledge out there, that supernatural things were real, that there really were things that went bump in the night; but Arthur had been brought up knowing they existed. His father, Uther, had told him as soon as he was old enough that a vampire had killed his mother not long after his birth.  
  
Uther Pendragon was one of the most powerful Hunters out there, everyone in the business knew his name, and all the monsters did too. Uther had killed more monsters than anyone. Arthur was still sometimes shocked at the hatred his father had for the creatures, for the way he went after them, with no mercy, but Uther had gotten old. Not as fast and agile as he had been, the old man had passed on the torch, but still aided with weapon manufacturing. It helped that he owned a company that had a weapons division.  
  
Leon and Lance had had their lives torn apart by creatures too, the two men having lost family members. It had just been chance that they had both been in the same bar as Arthur when he’d been trying to take out a faerie, and they jumped in even though they had no idea what they were fighting. The two of them had managed to take the thing out, Arthur only surviving because Lance had pulled him out of the lake the faerie had been dragging him into, while Leon was killing it.  
  
Elyan, Percival and Gwaine had joined later, all with similar stories, stumbling into the path of the Knights, being incorporated into team when they had proven themselves in a trial by fire.  
  
“Could be worse, Wart,” Leon said, sending him a smile when Arthur scowled at the nickname, opening the passenger side door for Arthur. “Could’ve been a lot worse.”  
  
Nodding, he managed to hold back the groan as he got into the SUV, Lance getting in behind him, as the other three made their way over to the other car.  
  
“We’ll see you at the office in an hour,” he called out to the other three men.  
  
Leaning his head back, he tried not to focus on the pain, tried to use the tricks that Lance had showed him with focusing on something else. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as zen as Lance, and the trick didn’t work, the throbbing in his wrist, hip and head getting worse, the pain making him feel light headed, his breaths coming in short pants.  
  
The hospital wasn’t too far away and before he knew it Arthur was sitting in a cubicle waiting for the doctor, watching as the nurse, Gwen her name tag said, took his vitals. He hadn’t wanted to come to the Mercian, but when Leon had refused to take him elsewhere, he’d prayed that Morgana wouldn’t be working tonight.  
  
Before he could ask how long he would have to wait, the curtain was pulled open, a man stepping inside. Arthur found himself taking in the man, all long, pale limbs, dark raven hair falling haphazardly over his forehead, and bright blue eyes that seemed to be able to look straight through him.  
  
Even though the man looked like he should still be in high school, university at the very least, there was something about him, something that Arthur couldn’t quite put his finger on, something that seemed to rush along Arthur’s skin. It made him feel hot and cold at the same time, made him want to move towards this person who made him feel the sensation.  
  
“… octor, what’s brought you in this evening?” the man asked, small smile on his face.  
  
“Sorry?” Arthur replied, shaking his head and pulling himself together.  
  
“I asked what’s brought you in tonight,” the man repeated, his smile turning into more of a grin as he exchanged a look with the nurse.  
  
“You’re my doctor?” Arthur asked, sure that the man had to be a student or something.  
  
“That’s me,” the man replied, grinning. “Doctor Merlin Emerson. Although I get that a lot, apparently I look a lot younger than I am. So what’s brought you in?”  
  
“Oh, um, I fell, onto my wrist,” Arthur said, holding his wrist up as if it were evidence. He winced a little, wondering when he had turned into an idiot, although Emerson didn’t seem to notice. He reached out and gently took hold of Arthur’s hand.  
  
Arthur couldn’t help the gasp that left him as he felt a shock travel up his arm, his skin tingling, as he looked up into wide blue eyes, the doctor clearly having felt it if the way he looked back was any indication. They stayed that way for a long moment, the two of them staring at each other, Arthur feeling the tingle rush over his body, before Emerson dropped his hand, causing it to flare up in pain and push the tingling to the back ground.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Emerson said, still looking at him with a shocked, and almost panicked expression. “I, uh … I have to go help with the resus … another doctor will see to you.”  
  
With that he rushed out of the room, Arthur staring after him, watching the way the doctor seemed to trip over his feet, not graceful in the slightest.  
  
“A resus means there’s an emergency, priority one coming in, sir,” Gwen said, giving him a small smile. “I’m sure Doctor Emerson will make sure that another doctor sees you shortly, if you’ll excuse me.”  
  
Watching her go, Arthur tried to shake off the feeling that he was missing something, though he couldn’t quiet shake the tingling that still ran across his skin. He reminded himself that strange people worked in every profession, including Medicine; Morgana was the prime example.  
  


_Grinning, Arthur kissed down the smooth chest, chuckling as he heard an unmanly giggle above him, wondering how the other man was so ticklish, given what he was. He almost sighed when hands threaded through his hair, gentle, so unlike anything Arthur thought he would be like.  
  
“There’s just something about you,” Arthur said against the pale skin, letting his tongue sneak out and lick a small stripe, before biting gentle on the skin, kissing it in apology afterwards. “I can’t quite put my finger on it.”  
  
“Arthur.”  
  
Looking up into blue eyes, Arthur felt his heart race, wondering how he had managed to find someone who seemed to be the other half of his coin, wondering if it was fate or destiny or some twisted plan by a higher being who had made him hurt his wrist that night.  
  
“Merlin,” he replied._  
  
Bolting up in bed, Arthur looked around his room, running a hand over his face, before running it through his hair, wondering when he had started having sappy, cheesy dreams, and tried to ignore the tingle that was flickering across his skin. Throwing the blankets back, he put his feet on the floor, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He had only met the man for a few seconds, not nearly long enough to form any kind of … liking, let alone a bond.  
  
Another doctor had come in minutes after Doctor Merlin Emerson had disappeared, the X-Rays the other doctor had ordered confirming Arthur’s fear that he had broken his wrist. Luckily the fracture wasn’t displaced, which meant he had to have a cast but no surgery. A cast for at least six weeks the doctor had said. The cut above his eye was only superficial, and the doctor had cleaned it and glued it back together, while his hip had just been badly bruised.  
  
But there was still pain from all the injuries, and he had been sent home on pain killers, pain killers that were clearly affecting his dreams. Standing up, he decided that he would stop the pain killers, and that would clearly stop these ridiculous dreams.  
  
Making his way to the kitchen, he pushed the button to his answering machine, making his way over to his coffee machine as it started to run.  
  
“Arthur, word has it you hurt yourself on your little mission last night. I only wish I’d been working so I could’ve … helped. Take care of yourself baby brother. I’ll see you soon.”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Arthur was once again thankful that Morgana hadn’t been working, wondering how she would’ve humiliated him if she had been, shuddering a bit at the thoughts that crossed his mind. His sister was kind of evil, although in a weirdly protective way. She was allowed to annoy and make fun of him, but no one else could.  
  
“Wart, just letting you know that everything’s quiet on the work front. We got the entire nest last night. So I guess we’ll all have a few days off until the next info comes through.”  
  
Leon’s voice cut off, and Arthur wondered if the other man honestly thought that he didn’t know he was dating Morgana, and that it probably would’ve been easier if the two of them had just left a message at the same time, Arthur sure that they had been together when the calls had been made.  
  
“Arthur, it’s your father, I have some information for you. Please come by my office at 3 o’clock.”  
  
Taking a sip of his coffee, Arthur looked at his watch, rolling his eyes when he saw it was already two thirty. Of course his dad would call to have a meeting in thirty minutes. That just seemed to be Arthur’s life.  
  
**

“Ah, Arthur, so glad you could make it.”  
  
Uther Pendragon was an intimidating man, his sharp blue eyes and hair with wisps of grey, along with his physique, made even the bravest of business men feel slightly unsure of themselves. Arthur had grown up with it, had stopped being intimidated by his father’s presence a long time ago.  
  
His words and tone however, still managed to make him feel like a failure who would never live up to his father’s hopes and dreams.  
  
“I apologise for my tardiness, father,” Arthur replied, taking a seat when his father indicated to a chair. “There was an incident last night and the pain killers I took knocked me out for longer than I thought they would.”  
  
“Are you hurt?” Uther asked, Arthur almost convinced that there was actually concern in his voice.  
  
“Broken wrist, bump on the head and hip, but they’ll heal,” Arthur replied, tapping his uninjured hand lightly against the cast.  
  
“Good,” Uther said, eyes running over Arthur once before looking back at his computer. “But that was not why I called you here today.”  
  
Arthur nodded, well aware that his father hadn’t called him here to check on his health.  
  
“An old friend of mine called me the other day,” Uther started. Arthur felt a pit forming in his stomach as he saw a murderous look cross his father’s face. “Your remember Aulfric and his daughter Sophia?”  
  
Arthur nodded. How could he forget the girl who had been chasing after him since he was thirteen, even after he had told her in quite explicit terms that he was gay, and no, he wasn’t confused and he didn’t need her to convince him otherwise.  
  
“Three days ago, Sophia went to a club with her friends,” Uther continued, pushing a file across the desk towards Arthur. “A club that caters to a very … specific clientele. She hasn’t been home since.”  
  
Taking the file, Arthur opened it, taking in the photo of Sophia, before looking at the other pictures and statements from witnesses who said they had been to the club.  
  
“Her friends are unable to remember where the club is or where Sophia disappeared,” Uther said, leaning forward. “Aulfric called me because he has exhausted all other avenues, and he had heard, through underground channels, that I would be able to find her. Or, if she is no longer living, avenge her.”  
  
Nodding, Arthur skimmed through the last statement, already starting to piece the facts together, thinking of people he could speak to that could help them find out more information.

“Ah, Arthur, so glad you could make it.”  
  
Uther Pendragon was an intimidating man, his sharp blue eyes and hair with wisps of grey, along with his physique, made even the bravest of business men feel slightly unsure of themselves. Arthur had grown up with it, had stopped being intimidated by his father’s presence a long time ago.  
  
His words and tone however, still managed to make him feel like a failure who would never live up to his father’s hopes and dreams.  
  
“I apologise for my tardiness, father,” Arthur replied, taking a seat when his father indicated to a chair. “There was an incident last night and the pain killers I took knocked me out for longer than I thought they would.”  
  
“Are you hurt?” Uther asked, Arthur almost convinced that there was actually concern in his voice.  
  
“Broken wrist, bump on the head and hip, but they’ll heal,” Arthur replied, tapping his uninjured hand lightly against the cast.  
  
“Good,” Uther said, eyes running over Arthur once before looking back at his computer. “But that was not why I called you here today.”  
  
Arthur nodded, well aware that his father hadn’t called him here to check on his health.  
  
“An old friend of mine called me the other day,” Uther started. Arthur felt a pit forming in his stomach as he saw a murderous look cross his father’s face. “Your remember Aulfric and his daughter Sophia?”  
  
Arthur nodded. How could he forget the girl who had been chasing after him since he was thirteen, even after he had told her in quite explicit terms that he was gay, and no, he wasn’t confused and he didn’t need her to convince him otherwise.  
  
“Three days ago, Sophia went to a club with her friends,” Uther continued, pushing a file across the desk towards Arthur. “A club that caters to a very … specific clientele. She hasn’t been home since.”  
  
Taking the file, Arthur opened it, taking in the photo of Sophia, before looking at the other pictures and statements from witnesses who said they had been to the club.  
  
“Her friends are unable to remember where the club is or where Sophia disappeared,” Uther said, leaning forward. “Aulfric called me because he has exhausted all other avenues, and he had heard, through underground channels, that I would be able to find her. Or, if she is no longer living, avenge her.”  
  
Nodding, Arthur skimmed through the last statement, already starting to piece the facts together, thinking of people he could speak to that could help them find out more information.

“Someday,” Uther said. “Someday they won’t be able to hide in the dark. The general population will be told that these monsters exist, and when that time comes, we’ll be able to punish those who hide these creatures as harshly as we treat the creatures. Until then, caution is necessary.”  
  
“We’ll take care of it, father,” Arthur replied, standing up, knowing that the meeting was over, that his father had given him as much time as he would allow. Flipping through the file, he made his way over to the door.  
  
“Oh, Arthur?”  
  
Turning at his father’s voice, Arthur took in Uther, sitting regally in an extravagant leather chair, a framed oil painting of his mother on the wall behind him. Arthur dismissed it as a business trick that his father had set up to further intimidate those he worked with.  
  
“Watch out for yourself, Arthur,” Uther said, nodding at him once, before looking down at the papers in his hands. “It would … be unacceptable if something happened to you.”  
  
“I will, father,” Arthur replied, before opening the door and walking out, feeling a little lighter.  
  
Reading through the informants stories, Arthur quickly realised they would have to do some recon. None of the witnesses were able to remember where the club was, or when Sophia had disappeared, just that it had been ‘awesome’ and that there had been these people with amber eyes.  
  
Arthur sighed as he read that, realising if they weren’t careful, that the newest fad would be fake amber eyes, people wearing contacts to give them the look, which would make their job that much harder, taking away the one thing that could give the vampires away.  
  
“I can’t believe he called you the day after you broke your wrist.”  
  
Arthur couldn’t help but smile at the voice, even though he knew that he was about to have an afternoon of Morgana annoying him.  
  
“I mean surely even _you_ are allowed sick days?” Morgana continued, linking her arm through his good one.  
  
“Hello, Morgana,” Arthur replied, turning his head to take his sister in, amusement clear in her green eyes. “What brings you out here on one of your days off?”  
  
“Leon told me you were meeting father,” she answered. “And you shouldn’t be driving with your cast, Arthur. Especially since you only had it put on this morning. So I’m going to drive you home.”  
  
“I’m not going home, Morgana,” Arthur replied. “I’m going to the office.”  
  
“No you’re not, Arthur,” Morgana replied, Arthur’s keys magically appearing in her hand. “As a doctor, I’m ordering, for your health, a day off. At least one. No monsters, no research. Just a nice relaxing night at home.”  
  
“Morgana,” Arthur started only to be cut off when Morgana pinched his arm.  
  
“No arguments, Wart,” she said, glaring at him. “One night. Your team just finished up a job, so you all deserve one, if not a few, days and nights off. And that’s my professional opinion. When was the last time you went out? When was the last time you went on a date?”  
  
Sighing, Arthur let her drag him to the car, knowing that he wasn’t going to win the argument, that Morgana had no doubt called the others and told them they at least had one night off. Luckily, Arthur still had the file Uther gave him, so he could still do something while on his forced night in.  
  
Morgana drove him home, and then glared at him until he went and had a shower, getting into his pyjamas, before she left, sending him a suspicious look before closing the door. Pulling out the file, he went through the stories individually, slowly putting together where the club could be from little things that each person had said.  
  
He had it narrowed down to the warehouse district before he fell asleep.

_Panting, eyes closed, Arthur gripped the hair in his hands a little harder, trying to hold off his orgasm, even as the warmth around his cock vibrated, the owner chuckling, clearly amused at something, while the head continued to bob up and down, making the coil in Arthur’s stomach curl tighter.  
  
Letting out a groan, he opened his eyes, staring down into the blue ones that were fixed on his face, before taking in the messed up raven hair, the pale skin, the sharp cheekbones. He bit his lip as he felt his pleasure increase, as the other man worked him deeper into his throat, their eyes never straying from each other, until the pleasure got too much for Arthur, his orgasm ripping through him as he arched off the bed.  
  
He couldn’t help the lethargy that followed his orgasm, feeling content as kisses were made up his body, until a gentle one was put on his lips.  
  
“Arthur.”  
  
“Merlin,” Arthur replied, smile spreading across his face, as he looked up into eyes circled with gold-_  
  
Gasping awake, Arthur stared around the dawn lit room, swallowing as he played the last part of his dream over in his head, seeing the golden eyes again, so different and yet too similar to a vampire’s to be a coincidence.  
  
He winced as he moved to get out of bed, the stickiness in his boxers pulling on his skin. He hadn’t taken any pain killers this time, so he couldn’t blame them for him dreaming of a man he’d met for only a minute.  
  
“Ridiculous,” he muttered to himself, getting out of bed and making his way to his shower. He’d never had dreams like that before, so intense and real that he almost wished it was. Which was ridiculous, he didn’t even know the man, he could be a complete psychopath for all Arthur knew.  
  
Not to mention the fact that Arthur was acting kind of crazy himself. Who dreamed about someone they’d only met for a minute? He knew what Morgana would say; that he was working himself too hard, that he needed to go out and get laid.  
  
But he had a job to do, and it was something that protected people, stopped kids from living the life that he had lived. Besides he went out, when he wanted to, and he could have a boyfriend if he wanted to, he just chose not to. Relationships made the job harder, having to either lie to the person or tell them the truth, it usually always ended with the other person walking away.  
  
After showering, and knowing he wasn’t going to get anymore sleep today, he made his way out of his apartment, making the quick trip to the office.  
  
The ‘office’ as it was referred to, was actually a small warehouse that they had set up with desks, computers and white boards. It was big enough to hold all their equipment, weapons and cars and no unlucky pedestrian to walk past and come into the building to see what they were doing.  
  
Striding across the floor, he made his way to the small room that was his office, putting the file on his desk as he made his way over to the whiteboard, wiping off the information he had on there about the old case and starting to put up the pieces of evidence that he had gleaned from the papers he had.  
  
After having written everything up on the whiteboard, he was almost convinced that his first thought was right. All the hints seemed to point to the club being in the warehouse district. It made sense, if there were any … accidents, being in that district would make it easy to make unfortunate incidents disappear.  
  
“I’m pretty sure your sister told you to have a few days off.”  
  
Not turning, Arthur continued to look at the board, Leon coming to sit next to him on his desk.  
  
“Then why are you here?” he asked, turning to send his second an amused glance.  
  
“Had a feeling you wouldn’t listen,” Leon replied, grinning at him, before turning back to the board. “New creature club?”  
  
“Mmm, looks like,” Arthur said, standing up and making his way over to the board, looking at the map he’d printed off of the warehouse district. “An old friend of my father rang him, his daughter went missing after visiting the club.”  
  
“So those days off aren’t happening?” Leon asked, Arthur hearing the amusement in his voice.  
  
“Don’t tell Morgana,” Arthur replied, turning around and glaring at the other man.  
  
“No offense, but I’m more scared of your sister, Wart,” Leon said, holding his hands up.  
  
“No loyalty these days,” Arthur muttered, turning around before he grinned, knowing that Morgana scared more people than he ever would.  
  
“So you think the club’s around here then?” Leon asked, turning back to the issue at hand.  
  
“That’s what I’m getting from the information.”  
  
Before they could get any further, a door banged open, Gwaine waltzing in and making his way into Arthur’s office, his hair a mess, sunglasses still covering his eyes, as he took a long sip from the coffee in his hand.  
  
“Gentleman,” he said, bowing to them before taking a seat at Arthur’s desk.  
  
“Someone got lucky,” Leon muttered to Arthur, Arthur grinning back at the other man, before knocking Gwaine’s feet back to the floor when he’d put them up on his desk.  
  
“And what brings you fine gentleman in so early?” Gwaine asked, taking another long sip from his drink, as he read through the papers at Arthur’s desk.  
  
“Wart’s father gave him some information about a possible case,” Leon replied, before raising an eyebrow in question. “Although I’m more interested in why you’re here, on a day that we were all meant to have off.”  
  
Gwaine’s carefree attitude dropped, the shaggy haired man leaning forward his face serious.  
  
“So while I was out last night, I met this girl, had some interesting information,” he said, standing up from the desk and making his way over to the white board. “Her story pretty much matched the one’s you have. Except for one little detail.”  
  
Gwaine picked up a marker, looking intensely at the map, before putting a cross on it.  
  
“This is where she thinks the club is,” he said.  
  
“She remembered?” Arthur asked, walking over and looking at the mark.  
  
“Nothing,” Gwaine replied. “She didn’t remember a thing. Except for the cool amber eyes some of the people had. She did, however, drive there initially, leaving her car there. She reported it, and two days later the cops found it parked there.”  
  
“So the club’s most likely in one of the warehouses around that spot,” Leon said. “I’m surprised they made such a mistake after making sure that none of the others seemed to remember.”  
  
“Always bound to happen,” Gwaine answered, shrugging his shoulders. “One little thing that people don’t realise makes all the difference. Not to mention vampires are as arrogant as they come.”  
  
“Call the others,” Arthur said, looking at Leon. “Let them know we’ve got a mission tonight.”  
  
**  
  
Arthur and Gwaine were the two who went undercover, the two easily fitting into the crowd as they waited to see if they’d be let in.  
  
In the end it hadn’t been as hard as they thought finding the club, Elyan quickly going through records of sales in the past few months in the district and finding a sale for a building which was the perfect size for a club.  
  
They’d staked it out and once they’d seen the people filing in, they knew they’d found the right place. Getting in the first door had been the easy part, getting in the second door seemed to be the hard bit.  
  
The guards were thoroughly inspecting each person who got to the front of the line, before either letting them in one of two doors. Arthur couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, wondering what was behind each door, how the guards were deciding which door each person went through.  
  
As he and Gwaine got to the front of the line, Arthur forced himself to relax, having had practice at keeping his heart beat stable, his breathing even. This wasn’t the first time he had gone under cover after all.  
  
As it turned out, he and Gwaine clearly had whatever it was the guards were looking for, the two of them ushered through one of the doors into a small room, which then opened to the club, the sound of the music hitting them as the door was opened.  
  
Making their way over to the bar, Arthur took in the way people were dancing, the way couples were making out … although he was sure that some of the ‘kisses’ being placed on people’s necks weren’t what they appeared.  
  
Gwaine ordered them both a drink, before being hit on by a woman who had just come up next to him, Arthur grinning to himself, before turning and watching the dance floor. He wasn’t much for clubs these days, the noise and the atmosphere no longer something he enjoyed, not to mention majority of the time he was in clubs these days, it was hunting down creatures.  
  
A couple of hours in, Gwaine had left to talk to some girl, and Arthur still hadn’t seen anything that could lead him to Sophia or that pointed to anything odd about the club. There weren’t any obvious clues that there were creatures here, nothing that could help lead him to more of the monsters.  
  
Sighing, he took another sip of his beer, his second of the night, freezing when he noticed a girl stumbling, seemingly out of it, and being led off to the side, the man leading her taking a shifty look around the club before pushing a door open. The girl seemed to perk up at what Arthur imagined was the cool air, trying to pull her grip out of the man’s arm, only to wince as the man pulled her through it.  
  
Putting his beer down, Arthur looked around the club, gritting his teeth when he realised he couldn’t see Gwaine. Pulling his phone out, he sent a quick message to the team, letting them know what was going on, and hoping Gwaine would see it soon and follow him out through the door.  
  
Making his way over to the door, he opened it slowly, not surprised when he saw it led to an alleyway outside. The man and girl were nowhere to be seen, and Arthur moved outside slowly, wishing he had one of his weapons on him, something about the situation not sitting right with him.

**

His thoughts were confirmed when he was knocked from behind, the hit propelling him forward and into a brick wall, his shoulder slamming hard against it, lights flashing in front of his vision as he slid down the wall.  
  
“Arthur Pendragon. I was wondering how long it would take you to come here.”  
  
Looking up at the woman, Arthur took in her proud face, her blonde hair, blue eyes, enhanced with black eye liner, flashing. The girl and the guy were nowhere in sight, Arthur sparing a thought to hope that the girl was okay.  
  
“You shouldn’t have come,” she continued, grinning at him, everything about her posture screaming predator, and Arthur had hunted enough to know she was a vampire even before the amber surrounded her eyes.  
  
In a flash she was in front of him, hand around his throat, slamming him up against the wall and holding him so that his feet were dangling.  
  
“You hunt us like we’re _animals_ ,” she hissed, face drawing closer. “I wonder what you would think if you actually knew the truth?”  
  
“I …,” he gasped, unable to get the words past the tight grip around his throat.  
  
The woman squeezed harder, grinning at him, before throwing him against the other wall, his hip hitting it hard, before she was there again, kicking him in the chest and abdomen. Struggling to stand, he coughed, wincing as he felt the fluid that came up with it. He had barely made it to his knees before he was hit in the face, the punch feeling like a sledge hammer to his face, and he had known vampires were strong, but none had felt like this.  
  
“Your father is a _hypocrite_ ,” the woman spat, her words followed up by another kick. “He asked for it, he asked for it and then turned around and hunted us when it wasn’t what he wanted.”  
  
Rolling onto his side, Arthur couldn’t help but notice the way it hurt to breath, the fluid that kept coming up when he coughed, the way his throat and whole body ached, as if he’d been hit by a truck. He was roughly pushed over onto his back, a boot pressing down on his shoulder, the blue eyes glaring down at him.  
  
“And now,” she continued, voice almost a whisper. “We get _our_ revenge!”  
  
Her eyes had turned from amber to almost golden, Arthur knowing what was coming when the woman leaned down, her fangs clear to see in the light. Making one last effort, he hit out at the woman, only for his fist to be caught by an invisible force in mid-air when she’d whispered something, the force pushing it down so it was by his head.  
  
“This will hurt a lot,” she said, Arthur feeling her mouth on his neck as the sharp pierce of fangs slid into his throat.  
  
He felt the sting for only a second before they were ripped away, the woman flying backwards, hitting the wall hard enough that flecks of brick fell around her.  
  
“Merlin,” she hissed, Arthur’s heart racing, his head screaming in agony as he tried to look up, shocked when he saw the lanky doctor standing just behind him. His face was hidden in shadow but every line of him radiated fury, such a contrast from the clumsy, grinning doctor he’d met at the Emergency Department.  
  
“He’s mine,” she continued, standing up. Arthur tried to concentrate, to will the blackness that was clouding his vision to leave, so that he could figure out what was going to happen, sure that it was important.  
  
“Go,” he gasped, the single word causing pain to lance up and down his chest and back, his throat screaming in protest, liquid filling his throat as he struggled to continue. “Leave … Merlin.”  
  
Arthur somehow saw a flash of Merlin’s blue eyes, part of him wondering how he knew the man so well when they had barely even met, and saw the way they hardened, the warmth that had been in them completely gone, as the man foolishly turned back to the vampire, not understanding what Arthur had been trying to tell him.  
  
“No,” Merlin replied, “he’s not … yours … belongs to no … mine.”  
  
The woman’s yell was the last thing Arthur heard, before the darkness won, taking everything, including the pain, away from him. The last thought Arthur had, was that he hoped the woman wouldn’t hurt Merlin, that she would knock him aside and turn back to him.  
  
Coming to, the first thing Arthur realised was that he was warm, warm and relaxed, none of the pain he’d been feeling before present. He wondered if the woman had finished him off, had tossed Merlin aside and killed him, and now he was in heaven. Although he couldn’t understand why people would be whispering in heaven  
  
“… thought the whole point you didn’t help him was because you wanted to stay away from him,” a female voice whispered.  
  
“I wasn’t about to let him die, Freya,” a male voice whispered back, and even as quiet as it was, Arthur knew that voice.  
  
Merlin.  
  
“Maybe it would’ve been for the best,” the girl, Freya, replied.  
  
Arthur felt the tingle that he’d felt back at the hospital run over his skin again, the feel of it making him feel warm and protected, something he hadn’t felt around other people for a long time, in fact he couldn’t ever remember feeling this way.  
  
He heard a feminine snort, before Freya spoke again.  
  
“I’m just saying, Merlin. This guy and his team hunt us, it might not have been the worst thing in the world if Morgause had taken him out of the equation.”  
  
“No,” Merlin replied, his voice reminding Arthur of the man back in the alley way. “He’ll change things.”  
  
“You can’t honestly believe that,” Freya said, her disbelief clear for Arthur to hear.  
  
“I think he’s waking up,” another voice added, Arthur recognising the female voice, although he couldn’t quiet place it.  
  
Opening his eyes, he quickly shut them again when the light hurt them, opening them more slowly the second time around. Looking around, he took in the room, seeing the medical text books, the warm tones of the room, and realised he was actually in someone’s bedroom.  
  
“Hello, again,” the familiar female voice said, before a kind face, surrounded in brown curls popped into his line of sight. Looking at the small smile, he remembered he’d seen the woman at the hospital, she’d been the nurse who’d apologised for the way Merlin had run out. Gwen, he thought he remembered seeing on her name tag.  
  
“Where am I?” he rasped out, grateful when a cup with a straw was placed in front of him, the water the best thing he’d tasted in a long time.  
  
“Our flat,” Gwen replied, smiling at him. “Merlin brought you back here after … the fight you were in.”  
  
Arthur winced as he remembered the ‘fight’, remembered the way he’d been tossed around by the female vampire. He’d been seriously injured, he definitely remembered that, had known that the pain from his ribs and the fluid he’d been coughing up meant that he’d been in serious trouble, meant that he would need quick medical attention.  
  
“What day is it?” he asked, knowing he should ask who the ‘our’ entailed, but needing to know how many days he had been out.  
  
“Friday,” Gwen replied, before frowning. “Or, no, actually it’s Saturday now, Saturday morning.”  
  
“How long have I been out?” he asked.  
  
“Um, four or five?” she replied.  
  
“Weeks?” he blurted out, sitting up, still shocked when there was no pain when he did. Even if he had been out that long, he should still feel sore from being in bed that long.  
  
“Hours, Arthur,” Gwen replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, concern in her eyes.  
  
“How is that possible?” he whispered to himself, running a hand over his face.  
  
“Merlin brought you back here after the fight,” she said, eyes narrowing before she turned. “And he said you hadn’t been that _hurt_.”  
  
Looking up, Arthur followed her line of sight, taking in a quick breath as he took in the man leaning against a desk, a sheepish expression on his face, nothing like the man Arthur had seen standing over him in the alley, looking more like the clumsy man he’d seen in the hospital. When their eyes met, Arthur felt the sensation that was fast becoming normal, the sparks and tingle crossing his skin making him feel warm and safe.  
  
“Tell me you didn’t, Merlin,” Gwen continued, standing up crossing her arms, Arthur sure she was glaring at the other man. “Tell me you weren’t that stupid!”  
  
“He was dying!” Merlin replied, crossing his arms and glaring back. “I wasn’t going to stand by when I could help.”  
  
“You could’ve taken him to the hospital, Merlin,” Gwen answered.  
  
“No, Gwen,” Merlin replied, shaking his head. “I really couldn’t have. It was the only way.”  
  
“What was the only way?” Arthur asked, knowing he was missing something huge.  
  
“How will he not know what you are now, Merlin?” Gwen hissed, standing up, glaring at Merlin with her hands on her hips. “This isn’t flying under the radar.”  
  
“What was the only way?” Arthur asked again.  
  
“I couldn’t watch him die, Gwen. I couldn’t,” Merlin answered, voice so quiet that Arthur almost missed it. The way the other man spoke, Arthur couldn’t help but feel like he should’ve felt awkward, uncomfortable, but the quiet words made the warmth in him increase.  
  
“Oh, Merlin,” Gwen said, moving over towards him and pulling him into a hug.  
  
“What was the only way?” Arthur repeated, deciding that no-one was going to pay attention to him while he was still lying in the comfortable bed, and throwing the covers off, wondering who had taken his shirt off when the cooler air of the bedroom hit his bare chest.  
  
The two others turned to him quickly, almost as if they had forgotten he was in the room, both looking at him with something like guilt on their faces, before Arthur noticed the way Merlin’s eyes lingered on his chest, before their eyes met. He couldn’t stop himself from taking a small step forward, before he reminded himself that he needed to know what was going on.  
  
He’d been hurt, badly, only a few hours ago, and yet here he stood now, completely unscathed, as if he hadn’t been in a fight with a vampire that had seemed hell bent on killing him.  
  
“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Gwen said, looking between them before making her way out of the room.  
  
“What was the only way?” Arthur asked again, still staring at Merlin.  
  
“You were hurt,” Merlin replied, looking at him for a moment longer, before staring at his feet.  
  
“And now I’m not,” Arthur said, moving closer to the man. “How is that?”  
  
“Does it matter?” Merlin answered. “You’re okay now, that’s all that matters.”  
  
“You said I was dying,” Arthur said, stopping just in front of the other man. “How could I be dying only hours ago and be standing here, not a scratch on me, now?”  
  
Merlin looked up at him with wide eyes, and Arthur wondered how the man’s eyes were so blue, wondered how it was they seemed to make his heart freeze one second and race the next. He didn’t even know this man, so how could he have gotten under his skin so quickly?  
  
They were so close now, so close that Arthur didn’t even need to reach out to touch Merlin, could just breathe deeply and they’d be touching. The near contact made him feel hot and twitchy, like he needed to do something, anything but just stand there.  
  
Merlin seemed to sway closer to him, their eyes locked together, their lips so close that Arthur could feel Merlin’s breath against his, before Merlin shook his head and looked away.  
  
“I … I healed you,” Merlin whispered, staring away, before looking back at Arthur, eyes almost pleading.  
  
“You healed me?” Arthur asked slowly.  
  
“How?”  
  
Merlin stared up at him with an almost helpless look, opening his mouth, only to close it again a moment later.  
  
“Merlin,” he continued, only just stopping himself from reaching out and grabbing the other man, even though every part of him wanted to. “How did you heal me?”  
  
“What does it matter, Arthur?” Merlin answered, running a hand through his hair. “You’re okay, and she won’t try and hurt you again.”  
  
“How. Did. You. Heal. Me?” Arthur asked, a pit forming in his stomach, telling him that he wouldn’t like the answer.  
  
“Blood,” Merlin whispered.  
  
“What?” Arthur replied, taking a step back, his mind making the links with just that one word.  
  
“Blood and magic to be exact,” Merlin continued, taking a step towards Arthur, one hand coming up, almost like he was trying to calm a wild animal. “I gave you some of my blood … it healed you. It was the only way, Arthur.”  
  
Blood. Magic. Blood magic.  
  
They’d heard of it before, Gwaine once telling them how he’d seen vampire blood make people stronger, faster, that it could heal people when they were hurt.  
  
Arthur had never quiet believed it, part of him sceptical that there was something vampires could actually do to help and that it was just something that the vamps had spread to make killing them less appealing.  
  
But if Merlin was saying he used his blood to heal Arthur …  
  
Moving quickly, he was across the room from Merlin, his eyes searching the room, trying to figure out a way to escape.  
  
“I’m not going to hurt you, Arthur,” Merlin said, something like pleading in his face. “Please.”  
  


“You’re a vampire,” Arthur whispered, swallowing hard, and wondering what it meant that vampire blood had healed him. Would he become a vampire now? Would he become the very thing his father hated, that he hunted?  
  
“It won’t change you into a vampire, Arthur,” Merlin said, almost as if the other man had read his thoughts. “And I didn’t read your mind. It was clear on your face what you were thinking.”  
  
“You’re a vampire,” Arthur repeated slowly, making his way towards the window.  
  
“We’re not all bad, Arthur,” Merlin replied, not moving, standing in the corner and watching Arthur with sad eyes, the look making something twist in Arthur, made him want to rid the look from Merlin’s face, to protect him from anyone who would make him feel that way. Before he reminded himself that the other man was a _vampire_ and he didn’t protect vampires.  
  
“Please, just … just let me explain,” Merlin continued, hopeful look on his face.  
  
Shaking his head, Arthur reminded himself how clever vampires were, how they knew the best way to get to their prey, and he couldn’t afford to let what he was feeling cloud his mind, his better judgement.  
  
With one last look at Merlin, his heart aching at the lost look on the other’s face, Arthur grabbed the first jumper he saw, and took off through the window onto the fire escape, quickly making his way down and into the alley way, not letting himself look back, or notice how much quicker he was moving than usual.

Standing on the corner, hoodie pulled over his head, Arthur tried not to think about what Merlin had told him. He had first heard about blood magic from his father, his father telling him that it was almost as bad as becoming a vampire, the vampire’s blood lingering in the person’s body.  
  
Hunching his shoulders, he pulled the jumper more tightly around himself, trying to ignore the scent coming from the clothing, the smell of deodorant and an underlying musk that he couldn’t help but notice, that his body seemed to respond to. Part of him couldn’t wait to get home so that he could take off … the vampire’s hoodie and get into his own clothes, although another part wanted to stay wrapped in it, to keep the warmth and safety he felt with the hoodie on.  
  
“Nice hoodie.”  
  
Looking up, he let out a sigh as relief and made his way over to the car, not missing the concerned glance Lance sent his way, before starting the car and moving down the street. Luckily his phone had still been in his pocket when he’d made a run for it, Arthur ringing Lance as soon as he’d gotten a block away.  
  
“What happened?” Lance asked, concentrating on the road, but sending a glance Arthur’s way that said he knew something had happened.  
  
“Maybe I got lucky?” Arthur replied, sending the other man a grin, before looking away at Lance’s disbelieving stare.  
  
“There are definitely vampires at that club,” he continued, after sitting in silence for a few minutes. “Probably more creatures, but definitely vampires.”  
  
“You had a run in with one?” Lance asked, pulling the car over and turning to Arthur, Arthur able to tell by the way the man was looking at him that he was trying to figure out if Arthur was injured.  
  
“I’m fine,” he replied, Lance giving him one last long look before driving off, clearly believing that Arthur wasn’t in any immediate danger, although by the last look he got, Arthur was in for a full inspection when they got back to the office.  
  
“What happened?” Lance asked.  
  
“I was following this girl who was being dragged outside by a vamp,” he answered, staring out the window. “Turned out it was most likely a trap, because when I got outside they weren’t there, only this blond vampire. We had a bit of an … altercation.”  
  
“An altercation?” Lance replied.  
  
“She threw me around a bit and then,” he stopped as he remembered looking up and seeing Merlin, his heart racing as he remembered the low voice, reluctant to tell Lance about the rest of the fight, not wanting the other man to know about Merlin for some reason. “We were interrupted and I guess she didn’t want trouble or something.”  
  
“’Threw you around a bit’?”  
  
“I’m fine, Lance,” Arthur replied. “No permanent damage done. I promise you can look me over to confirm that I’m not lying.”  
  
He swallowed hard as he remembered exactly why it was that he had no permanent damage, why he wasn’t lying in the hospital, why he wasn’t dead.  
  
“Don’t think I hadn’t already planned that,” Lance said, sending a sharp glance Arthur’s way, before an amused smile crossed his face. “And how did you wind up with a worn hoodie for Mercia University?”  
  
Looking down at the hoodie, he realised that it had Mercia University written in faded letters across the front, his heart thumping as he remembered pleading blue eyes framed by messy raven hair.  
  
“Borrowed it,” he replied, clearing his throat when he heard the huskiness of it, not missing the confused look that crossed Lance’s face. Luckily the other man seemed to know when to push things and when to leave things alone, and Arthur was glad that he hadn’t called Gwaine to come pick him up.  
  
“Regardless, things aren’t looking good for Sophia,” he said, leaning his head back, and trying to figure out where to go from here.  
  
“Funny you should mention that,” Lance replied, frowning when it started to rain. “Percy put a track on all her cards, to see if she used any of them.”  
  
“She did?” Arthur asked.  
  
“Two hours ago,” Lance answered, turning onto the street to the warehouse. “In a restaurant on the South side. Leon and Gwaine have gone to check it out.”  
  
“We should go too,” Arthur said, gripping the arm rest a little harder.  
  
“No, _you_ are going to let me look you over and make sure you’re not being a prat by denying your hurt,” Lance replied, sending him a look that dared him to argue. “Leon and Gwaine can handle it.”  
  
“Lancelot,” Arthur started, only to stop when the look turned into a glare. Lance was the most laid back of the group, so on the occasions that he got angry, it was usually in the person’s best interest to go along with what the man said.  
  
Sighing, and leaning his head back, Arthur watched as they pulled into the garage of the office, rolling his eyes as he got out. He knew he was fine, he should be at the restaurant finding out if it really was Sophia there, or whether it was someone using her cards. His father would expect nothing less than the best from him, injured or not.  
  
He allowed Lance to walk him into the office, not missing the grins Percy and Elyan shared as Lance ordered him to take his hoodie off, running through his examination as quickly and professionally as he could.  
  
“Well,” Lance said, hands on his hips. “You look … absolutely fine. Even the-”  
  
Lance stopped whatever he was about to say, staring at Arthur’s unblemished skin, before looking him in the eye, equal parts curiosity and suspicion on his face, before he turned away. Arthur knew what Lance had been about to say, that the medic had noticed the bruises that he had from when he’d broken his arm was completely gone.  
  
In fact, he probably wouldn’t need the cast anymore. Although if he took it off and his arm was fine, people would ask how, and he couldn’t tell them that he had met a vampire and been healed by his blood.  
  
Lance sent him one last look, one that clearly said they’d be speaking about his miraculous recovery later, before walking over to his desk.  
  
“Nothing that needs a hospital visit this time,” Lance said, once he had sat down, picking up papers and flipping through them.  
  
Percy and Elyan went back to their work, and Arthur made his way to his desk, sitting down and trying not to think of the events of the night, but unable to get the lost blue eyes out of his head.  
  
Why had Merlin saved him? Knowing who he was and what he did, why had a vampire saved a vampire hunter? Why, when he could have just left him to die at the hands of the blond monster? And why was he dreaming of the vampire? He hadn’t heard that that was one of their tricks before, being able to get inside a person’s dreams.  
  
Pushing the thoughts aside, he ran through the information about Sophia’s credit card usage that had been left on his desk, reminding himself that he actually had a job to do, and he couldn’t spend it thinking about something that he was meant to be hunting.  
  
It wasn’t long before Leon and Gwaine were coming back into the office, quietly discussing something that had them both looking serious and intense, and thoughts of Merlin and his blood were pushed to the back of his mind.  
  
“What did you find?” Arthur asked, standing and making his way out behind his desk.  
  
“Two people used the card,” Leon replied, shrugging out of his jacket. “One man and woman, the woman didn’t match Sophia’s description, but the hostess remembers seeing her two days ago.”  
  
“She was kind enough to let us look at their security room,” Gwaine continued, the smile on his face indicating that the only reason the two men had been able to was because Gwaine had charmed the hostess.  
  
“So you got photos of the couple?” Lance asked.  
  
“You’re not going to like it, Wart,” Leon answered, looking almost reluctant as he handed over a piece of paper.  
  
Looking down at the paper, Arthur took in the features of the woman, memorising the face so that he would be able to recognise her if he came across her during their investigation. When he looked at the man he felt his insides freeze, not believing what his eyes were seeing.  
  
“Valiant,” he heard Percy hiss, the man having looked over his shoulder.  
  
Valiant was a werewolf that it had taken them months to hunt down. The man was an animal, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake as he used all of his powers to manipulate his way to the top. The Knights had been hurt badly by Valiant and his crew, Arthur almost fatally, when they had finally caught up with the pack.  
  
“How is this possible?” Elyan asked, his question jolting Arthur out of the memories of blood and pain and fear that were flashing through his mind. “How is he alive?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Arthur replied, trying to loosen the white knuckled grip he had on the paper. “But we need to find out. Leon and Gwaine, see if you can find anything out from our informants, any rumours of wolves that match the stories we know about Valiant and his crew.”  
  
“Elyan and Perce see if he’s using any of his old accounts, houses, land. Lance check hospital records … see if there are any deaths which would fit with what we know about Valiant’s style of killing. I’m going to call my father, see if he’s heard anything through the grape vine,” he finished, the knights moving as soon as he had, Arthur moving quickly into his room, almost collapsing into his chair.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he reached out to take the phone, stopping when he noticed his hands were shaking. He had thought that he’d dealt with the attack, had told Morgana that there was no reason for him to speak to anyone about the fight, because he had processed the fact that he had almost died.  
  
“Arthur?”  
  
Looking up, Arthur saw Lance close the door, coming in to sit in front of Arthur’s desk.  
  
“Did you find something?” Arthur asked.  
  
“No,” Lance said, eyes scanning Arthur’s face. “You want to talk about this?”  
  
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Arthur replied, tossing the paper onto the desk, not realising that he’d been scrunching the paper in his hand.  
  
“Really?” Lance asked, disbelief on his face. “Nothing to talk about? Even though this is the guy who almost tore you apart, had you in Intensive Care for weeks, that’s nothing to talk about?”  
  
“I’ve dealt with it,” Arthur replied, leaning back in his chair, trying to glare at the medic.  
  
“Okay,” Lance said, Arthur suspicious that the man had given in so quickly. “Let’s talk about your miraculous recovery then shall we?”  
  
Arthur couldn’t help freezing again. He’d hoped that Lance would leave the confrontation until a later date, given him time to come up with what he wanted to say.  
  
“All those bruises and small scrapes from the other night are gone,” Lance continued, levelling him with a look. “And if we got an x-ray I have a feeling that your arm wouldn’t be broken anymore. You’re a quick healer, Wart, but no human is that quick.”  
  
“I … It was …” He trailed off, not knowing what to say, his thoughts about Merlin coming back full force, along with the reminder that he had drunk Merlin’s blood. He had no idea how he was going to explain it to Lance.  
  
Putting his head in his hands, he ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
“I can’t explain it,” he muttered.  
  
“Can’t or won’t?” Lance replied quietly.  
  
“Give me some time?” Arthur asked, looking up at Lance, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. What would his men think about him when they found out?  
  
“You know whatever it is, whatever happened, we’ll always be here,” Lance replied, leaning forward, earnest look on his face. “We’ll always be your men, Arthur.”  
  
Snorting, Arthur went to reply, only to be stopped when Lance’s phone rang. Lance gave him a nod, before answering his phone, walking out of the office and leaving Arthur to the thoughts whirling through his mind. He knew the fact that he’d had vampire’s blood was wrong, that it should be making him feel dirty and ashamed, but … it didn’t.  
  
For some reason, the thought of having a piece of Merlin made him feel safe. Which probably made him creepy just thinking about it. What person felt safe when something like that happened to them, what self-respecting hunter felt safe with something their enemy had given them?  
  
Pushing the thoughts aside, he reached out and picked up the phone, dialling his father.  
  
“Arthur.”  
  
“Father,” Arthur replied, leaning back in his chair.  
  
“How is the investigation?” Uther asked.  
  
“Progressing,” Arthur answered, picking up a pen and twirling it through his fingers. “It’s actually why I’m calling, we have a lead and I was wondering if you had heard anything from your contacts.”  
  
“I will help any way I can, Arthur.”  
  
“We found a credit card of Sophia’s that had been used. The two people using it weren’t her. We’re chasing the identity of the woman, but we know the man,” Arthur said, swallowing hard as he looked at the photo of Valiant.  
  
“The man is actually a werewolf,” Arthur continued, knowing his father would want him to get to the point as quickly as possible. “His name is Valiant.”  
  
Arthur’s sentence was met with complete silence. He checked his phone to make sure it hadn’t disconnected, and put the phone back to his ear when he realised it hadn’t been.  
  
“Valiant?” his father asked, his tone low, dangerous, Arthur shocked at how much emotion his father was showing. “The werewolf that almost killed you?”  
  
Arthur felt himself flush as he realised his father remembered the incident, how he had almost failed him.  
  
“Yes,” Arthur replied slowly, wishing that his father had forgotten. “I was wondering if one of your contacts may have heard anything about him?”  
  
“No,” Uther answered, his tone sharp. “But rest assured, I will find out all I can about Mister Valiant.”  
  
“Thank you,” Arthur said, trying to figure out exactly why it was his father seemed so angry. Before he could however, Uther said good bye.  
  
  
  
It turned out Valiant was no cleverer this time than he had been the first go around, Lance finding three killings that matched Valiant’s MO, and Elyan picking up that the dead bodies had been found at two of the places Valiant and his pack liked to hang out.  
  
The Knights ended up splitting up, deciding to stake out the three places; an apartment building, a club and a warehouse, to see if it would bring up more leads. Elyan and Percy took the apartment building, Gwaine and Lance took the club, which left Leon and Arthur the warehouse.  
  
“So,” Leon started, swivelling his head on the head rest so he could look at Arthur. “Are we going to touch on the fact that we’re staking out a guy that almost killed you and should, by all rights, be six feet under?”  
  
“No,” Arthur answered, glaring out the front window. He was over what had happened, why did people have to bring it up? And now Leon would keep asking him questions until he was satisfied that Arthur had ‘come to terms’ with what was happening.  
  
Sometimes he was as bad as Lance. But he was sneaky about it, springing it on you from time to time, so you could never anticipate when he would start making you talk about your feelings.  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“O-okay?” Arthur replied, turning to look at the other man, seeing the small smile on his seconds face. “What do you mean ‘okay’?”  
  
“You don’t want to talk to me about it,” Leon responded, shrugging, before looking out the window. “Of course I’m the kind of person who probably will need to talk to someone about it.”  
  
“Do you want me to org-“  
  
He stopped short, realising exactly what Leon was insinuating.  
  
“You can’t tell Morgana about this,” he said, glaring at the other man. Leon just continued to stare out the front of the car windscreen, small smile firmly in place on his face.  
  
“I’m serious, Leon,” Arthur continued. “Morgana can’t know.”  
  
“But you’ve dealt with it, Wart,” Leon replied, innocent look on his face as he turned and looked at Arthur. “Why would it be a problem if I told your sister?”  
  
Before he could respond, Arthur saw something move out of the corner of his eye, head whipping around and looking at the thin, gangly man who was making his way across the road in front of them, heading directly for the warehouse.  
  
Arthur took in the way the man moved, the tilt of his head, the way he walked as if he owned the place, the arrogance that seemed to radiate from the man. All of it making Arthur think he was more likely a vampire rather than werewolf.  
  
“Well that looks suspicious,” Leon muttered, as they watched the man stride up to the warehouse, knocking once before looking around, the door opening and admitting him a minute later.  
  
Undoing his seatbelt, Arthur reached in the back, pulling his stakes out of his bag.  
  
“I thought this was simply a recon mission?” Leon asked, reaching back to grab his own weapons.  
  
“No harm in getting a closer look,” Arthur replied, securing his weapons to him.  
  
“You sure you want to do this, Arthur?” Leon asked, his face concerned when Arthur looked over at him.  
  
“Let’s move before we miss something,” he replied, opening his car door, closing it as quietly as he could before moving towards the warehouse, Leon not far behind him. It didn’t take them long to make their way up to where the windows opened to the main floor of the warehouse, a small balcony running underneath the windows, with steps down to the warehouse floor, Arthur sure that whatever was happening would be there.  
  
He was surprised to see the warehouse pretty much bare, save for a person on a chair, and two people standing in front of it. It was hard to see what the people looked like, but one of the one’s who was standing was clearly the man that had just entered the building, while the other was a hulk of a man. Arthur would bet his bottom dollar that he was a werewolf. Which was a worrying thought, the idea that vampires and werewolves were working together.  
  
The person sitting in the chair looked like a woman, her curly, black hair falling out of where it had been tied back, the clothes she was wearing looked to be a dark blue top and pants that matched. And she seemed to be struggling.  
  
“What do you think?” Leon whispered, camera in his hand, as he took photos.  
  
Before he could answer, one of the men hit the woman, her head snapping to the side at the force of the blow. It was all Arthur needed to see, knowing he couldn’t leave the woman there to clearly be hurt.  
  
“We don’t know if there are more,” Leon said, pulling out his gun.  
  
“I’m assuming four,” Arthur replied, pulling out his own weapon.  
  
“Arthur,” Leon whispered, as Arthur slowly opened the window, trying not to make a sound. “We should call for back up.”  
  
“Good thinking,” Arthur answered. “You do that and I’ll go make sure they don’t kill the girl.”  
  
Leon rolled his eyes, clearly not happy with the situation, but moved into position, the two of them getting the window open, Arthur crawling through and onto the small balcony, Leon behind him.  
  
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” the woman said, Arthur stopping for a second, seeing Leon look at him curiously. He knew that voice, he was sure he had heard it before, although he couldn’t recognise the woman.  
  
Shaking his head, he continued to move around the balcony, towards the steps, Leon right behind him as they started making their way down. Arthur flinched at every small sound they made, eyes glued to the men. The two men seemed to not notice, too focused on the woman, and getting the answers out of her that they wanted.  
  
He looked around the warehouse quickly, but couldn’t see other people in the room, although that didn’t mean there weren’t any around.  
  
“We’ve seen you with him,” the vampire-looking man replied, twirling a curl of the woman’s hair around his finger, before grabbing a fist full of it, pulling her head back. “Where does he live?”  
  
“I don’t know this Emrys,” the woman gasped, Arthur realising who she was when he got a good look at her face. “Please, I don’t know anything!”  
  
Gwen. The nurse from the hospital. Merlin’s friend.  
  
Sending Leon a look, the two of them moved in unison, Leon flanking one way, Arthur the other. The bulky, werewolf looking guy was much bigger than what he looked like from above, and Arthur knew it was going to be difficult to take the man down.  
  
Pulling out his gun, he knew that he had to hit the man with the silver bullets, hoping it would be enough to slow him down, so that Arthur could use his wolfsbane soaked dagger. Leon looked over at him once, before nodding, the two moving in quickly.  
  
They both shot at the same time, Arthur seeing the man he had targeted turn quickly towards him. If he’d had any doubt the man was a werewolf, it was quashed when the man moved. He moved far too quickly to be human, and Arthur only had a few seconds to decide what to do.  
  
Ducking, he was surprised that the man had missed him completely, the silver clearly slowing him down more quickly than Arthur had realised. Pulling his dagger, he rolled out of the man’s way, the wolf clearly confused that Arthur was able to get out of his way.  
  
Moving closer, he easily blocked the wolf’s punch with his cast arm, surprised but not letting himself think too much about it, knowing he had to keep his mind on what he needed to do. Blocking another blow, he moved quickly, the wolf clearly surprised when the dagger was thrust into chest, eyes widening, before he tried one last attempt at hitting Arthur.  
  
Arthur was able to dodge it easily, frowning down at the creature. That had been much easier than it should’ve been. Werewolves, even in their human form, were fast and incredibly strong. Arthur had always come away with an injury when he’d fought one in the past, but this time he didn’t have a scratch.  
  
“Arthur!”  
  
He heard Leon’s shot a second before he was hit hard from behind, the man they’d seen slinking into the warehouse before tackling him to the ground. He tried to push himself up, but couldn’t, the man holding him down, gripping his head and pulling it to one side. Throwing an elbow back, he was surprised at the ‘oomph’ he heard, the hit not enough to shake the vampire off him though.  
  
He felt a scratch against his neck, before the heavy weight of the vampire fell even harder against him, making it hard for him to breath. The weight was lifted off him a few moments later, Leon turning him over and looking at him worriedly.  
  
“Okay, Wart?” he asked, eyes running over Arthur, clearly trying to see if there was any obvious injury, eyes lingering on the now broken cast.  
  
“I’m fine,” Arthur replied, hand rubbing at his neck where the vampire fangs had scratched him, before looking over at the curious eyes taking him in.  
  
“Gwen, right?” he asked, walking over slowly, hands out by his side, trying to put the woman at ease. As he got closer to the woman, he could see how pale she was, could see the blood that was oozing from her nose and mouth, both eyes starting to blacken.  
  
She looked up at him with wide eyes, before recognition flashed through them.  
  
“Arthur?” she asked, voice raspy.  
  
He nodded as he moved closer, kneeling down next to the woman. He winced when he saw her wrists, red from where she had been pulling against the ropes that had been used to tie her to the chair.  
  
“Are you okay?” Arthur asked, feeling concerned when the woman slumped slightly, before pulling herself back upright.  
  
“I’ll be fine,” she answered, wobbling as she tried to stand up. Standing up quickly, Arthur wrapped one of his arms around her, steadying her and moving towards the door, Leon in front of them, his weapon still out.  
  
The door was slammed open before they reached it, Arthur quickly pulling his gun, while trying to keep Gwen balanced, relaxing when he saw the two people who walked through.  
  
“We took out the two outside,” Gwaine said, sending a grin their way. Arthur shot Leon a questioning look, not missing the stubborn set to the man’s jaw, and he had a feeling Elyan and Percy were probably skulking around outside somewhere too.  
  
His grin faded away when he saw Gwen, Arthur seeing anger cross his face, before Lance brushed past him, coming to stand in front of where Arthur and Gwen stood.  
  
“My name’s Lancelot,” he murmured quietly, eyes running over Gwen’s face, Arthur seeing him cataloguing the woman’s possible injuries.  
  
“Gwen,” Gwen replied, sending Lance a pained smile.  
  
“Let’s get her out to the car and I’ll check her out,” he continued, looking at Arthur as he moved to take Gwen’s other arm.  
  
They all moved back outside, Leon and Gwaine still with their weapons drawn, Arthur and Lance trying to move as smoothly as they could, so as not to jostle the woman between them. Once they were back to the car, they sat Gwen in the back, Lance kneeling in front of her and starting to check her over.  
  
Lance was always good with the people they saved, but he seemed to be even more gentle with Gwen, whatever he was saying bringing a small smile to the woman’s face. Lance quickly checked her over, before moving over to where Leon and Arthur were standing.  
  
“I think she needs the hospital,” he said quietly, worried eyes looking back at where the woman sat. “The cuts look superficial, but I think she might have a concussion which should get checked out.”  
  
“Did she say anything about the guys who took her?” Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow when Lance glared at him.  
  
“No,” Lance replied, scowling at Arthur. “I think she’s still a little traumatised.”  
  
“Anything she can tell us will help, Lance,” Leon responded.  
  
“She needs the hospital first,” Lance said, crossing his arms.  
  
Nodding, Arthur sent the other’s off to see what they could find in the warehouse, before jumping into the SUV to drive Gwen and a worried Lance to the hospital. The trip didn’t seem to take that long and before he knew it Arthur was once again sitting in the emergency waiting room.  
  
“Gwen?”

He couldn’t help the way his whole body tensed at the voice, warmth running over his body as Merlin almost ran into the emergency room.  
  
“Are you alright?” he asked, kneeling down in front of Gwen, hands moving gently over her face.  
  
“I’m fine, Merlin,” Gwen replied, smiling a little. “What are you doing here on your day off?”  
  
“Sheryl called me from triage,” Merlin replied, worry still clear on his face. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. What happened?”  
  
Arthur managed to tear his eyes away from Merlin to look at Gwen, not missing the hesitancy that crossed the woman’s face. Something seemed to pass between the doctor and nurse, and Arthur had a feeling that he had missed something important.  
  
“Guinevere Page?”  
  
Gwen stood up and followed the nurse who had called her name, Arthur watching her, before turning and meeting an intense blue gaze. He couldn’t help the way his heart raced, his chest tightening, mouth suddenly going dry.  
  
“I, uhm,” Merlin started, blush crossing his face as he stood up. “Hello, Arthur.”  
  
“You two have met?” Lance asked, his friend’s voice snapping Arthur out of the daze he had been in, Arthur not missing the amused looked on Lance’s face.  
  
“Merlin was my doctor,” Arthur answered, trying to forget the other time they had met, what had happened then, even as he felt the familiar rush over his skin. Merlin’s eyes flicked over his body, Arthur not missing where they lingered on his injured neck and his broken cast, before meeting his eyes again.  
  
They stood in silence for a few moments, Merlin and Arthur staring at each other, before Lance stepped forwards.  
  
“Lancelot Du Lac,” Lance said, giving the man a small smile, before turning a curious look on Arthur.  
  
“Oh, I’m Merlin Emerson,” Merlin replied, shaking hands with Lance, Arthur gritting his teeth when he saw the way their hands seemed to linger for a moment too long.  
  
They stood there for a while, Arthur trying to think of something to say that wasn’t related to the fact that Merlin was a _vampire_ and that he had given Arthur his blood.  
  
“So, I, um, should be going,” Merlin said, indicating the doors with his thumb, giving a small smile, glancing once more at Arthur, before turning and walking towards the door. Arthur couldn’t stop himself from watching the other man, before shaking his head, reminding himself that Merlin was the enemy. He just hadn’t worked his game out yet.  
  
“So, can we talk about that?” Lance asked, looking pointedly at Merlin and then back at Arthur, eyebrow raised in question. He looked like he had when he’d asked Arthur about how he’d healed so quickly.  
  
Glaring at the other man, Arthur sat back down, wondering why his heart seemed to still be flipping.  
  
**  
  
In the end, Gwen hadn’t told them much, just that she’d been grabbed on her way home from work, and asked how to find Emrys. The nurse maintained that she had absolutely no idea who Emrys was, or why the men were looking for him.  
  
Lance had been surprised that Gwen hadn’t been more traumatised, but the woman had replied that not everyone fit into the categories that he and Arthur clearly thought they did. Lance had replied that he wasn’t surprised that all creatures weren’t bad.  
  
“You know I kind of agree with her,” Lance said, as they were driving home. Arthur took his eyes off the road for a moment to send the other man a confused look.  
  
“Agree about what?” Arthur asked.  
  
“That not all of the creatures are … bad. Maybe some of them don’t lose their humanity when they turn,” Lance replied. “I think how they turn out depends a lot on who turns them and why.”  
  
“What are you talking about, Lance?” Arthur asked, feeling tired all of a sudden, not quite believing what the medic was saying.  
  
“It’s something I’ve been looking into,” the other man explained. “And I’ve found that those who are turned by calmer, less violent creatures, can keep their humanity. In a manner of speaking.”  
  
“Are you saying they’re not all evil?” Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow in question at the man.  
  
“I’m just saying that maybe there are ones out there who are just living their lives. And we don’t see them, because we only hunt the bad ones.”  
  
Arthur wanted to believe Lance, wanted to believe him, because then he wouldn’t have to feel so conflicted about Merlin saving him, about the vampire using his blood to save Arthur, saving his life with it.  
  
What Lance said had him thinking for the rest of the way back to the office, the medic sitting next to him silently, Lance knowing the value of silence. Pulling into the warehouse, he wasn’t surprised to see the rest of the team, the knights all working on various things, all stopping to watch as Lance and Arthur walked into the room.  
  
“How’s the girl?” Gwaine asked, concern clear on his face.  
  
“Minor injuries,” Lance replied, going over to sit at his desk. “She’s gone home.”  
  
“What did we get from the recons?” Arthur asked, leaning against Leon’s desk.  
  
“Not much from the apartment,” Gwaine said, tossing a file on the desk. “We took some photos of a map that had obviously meant to be burnt in the fire place. I’m trying to put it together, see if I can figure out where the dots we can see lead to.”  
  
“I picked a phone off one of the guys,” Elyan continued. “It references a meeting with someone called ‘Morgause’ and Thursday night, but it doesn’t say where or if it means this Thursday.”  
  
“And we know that they’re working together and looking for someone called ‘Emrys’,” Arthur finished, running a tired hand over his face. “Alright, let’s call it a night. I’ll see you here bright and early tomorrow.”  
  
The others grumbled a little, but Arthur knew it was mainly just for show, that the knights were as eager as he was to work out the puzzle that was unfolding in front of them. He had no idea how Sophia worked into it all, but he had a feeling that they wouldn’t find her until they had figured it out.  
  
  
  
Walking into his apartment, it took Arthur a few moments to realise he wasn’t alone. It was a sixth sense that he had learnt to trust over the years. He quietly drew his gun as he moved slowly down the hallway and glanced around the corner into the lounge room.  
  
“I’m not here to hurt you, Arthur.”  
  
Arthur couldn’t help but freeze at the voice, cursing his body’s reaction to the voice that he had only heard a few times, but that he heard in his dreams often.  
  
“What the hell are you doing here, _Mer_ lin?” Arthur asked, moving around the corner, lowering his weapon only slightly.  
  
“You’re hurt,” Merlin replied quietly, his eyes once again flicking to Arthur’s neck, where Arthur could feel the scratches throbbing.  
  
“I don’t need any more of your help,” Arthur said, heart racing as he thought of Merlin giving him his blood again.  
  
“I brought my medical bag,” Merlin replied, rolling his eyes, as if he could read what was going through Arthur’s head. “Not to mention, most medical professionals, and most likely your gang, are going to wonder how your arm healed so quickly. Especially once that cast falls off your arm.”  
  
Following the vampire’s gaze, Arthur looked at the cast, only realising now how close it was to falling off. What Merlin said was true, people would wonder about his arm if he didn’t have some kind of cast on it, and he couldn’t go to another doctor and ask for a cast for a perfectly healed arm.  
  
Lance’s words ran through his head, the part of him that wanted to believe the words making him lower the gun until it was by his side.  
  
“This doesn’t mean I trust you,” he said, staring suspiciously at the other man.  
  
“Wouldn’t dream that it did,” Merlin answered, Arthur not missing the way the doctor rolled his eyes slightly.  
  
“If I think for a minute that you’re going to hurt me, I’ll stake you,” Arthur continued, moving into the room slowly, putting his gun away and pulling his stake out, a warning to the vampire.  
  
Merlin snorted, before nodding his head, indicating for Arthur to sit on the sofa. Arthur did so somewhat reluctantly, trying to ignore his racing heart when Merlin knelt in front of him, his head bowed as he looked at the cast.  
  
“I think this will come off without the saw,” Merlin said, giving him a beaming smile, before reaching out and grabbing Arthur’s arm. Arthur tried to ignore the warmth that spread from Merlin to him where they were touching, tried to ignore the silky, raven hair that was bowed in front of him, and how much he wanted to reach out and run his fingers through it.  
  
Even the way Merlin had his tongue sticking out to one side of his mouth seemed endearing and Arthur really had to snap out of it. He had to remember that this was a creature in front of him, and while Merlin seemed harmless, he most certainly wasn’t.  
  
Merlin gave a small cry of triumph as he managed to manoeuvre the cast off, eyes shining as he looked up at Arthur, cast in one hand.  
  
“There,” Merlin said, putting the cast to one side and pulling out a plastic looking thing. “This is a brace that we sometimes get people to wear. You can tell the others that the break wasn’t as bad as first thought, and was healing well, so you could wear this. Wear it for a few more weeks and then you can take it off. Good as new.”  
  
Arthur had to admit the brace was a lot nicer than the cast, a lot lighter too, and he couldn’t help smiling at Merlin, who was staring at his neck. The scratches started to throb again, and Arthur didn’t miss the way Merlin’s eyes darkened.  
  
“Thank you,” he said, starting to get up from the sofa, only to be pushed back down.  
  
“Merlin,” Arthur warned, gripping the stake in his hand.  
  
“Oh, please, Arthur,” Merlin replied, glaring when he looked up at him. “I’m a doctor, I can handle a little blood. And it’ll be easier for me to take care of.”  
  
Arthur stared into the blue eyes for a long moment, before nodding his head. Merlin grabbed a cloth, tipping some fluid on it, before kneeling between Arthur’s legs. He looked focused as he started to clean the wounds on Arthur’s neck, Arthur not once worried that the man was about to attack him.  
  
In fact, he couldn’t help but notice how close they were, how Merlin fit between his legs, their bodies so close together that Arthur could feel Merlin’s warmth all along him. His breath caught as he felt heat coil in his stomach, Merlin’s eyes snapping to his at the sound. He had just finished putting strips that would hold the superficial cuts together and his fingers lingered on Arthur’s neck.  
  
Arthur couldn’t tear his eyes away from the blue pair in front of him, couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward, his heart racing, chest tight, as his lips covered the one’s he’d kissed a thousand times in his dreams-  
  
He jolted back as he heard the knock at the door, turning his head and cursing when it sounded again. Merlin had moved so he was across the room when the knock had first sounded, the two of them turning to stare at each other for a long moment, before Arthur got up and made his way to the door.  
  
“Finally, Arthur,” Morgana said, barging past him and making her way down the hall.  
  
“Morgana, what the hell are you doing here?” Arthur asked, trying to remind himself that it was a good thing Morgana had come over. He’d just been about to kiss a vampire.  
  
“Leon told me what happened today and I was just-”  
  
Morgana stopped talking when she reached the lounge room, her back to Arthur for a moment until she turned around, an eyebrow raised in question.  
  
“I’m sorry, Arthur,” she said, wicked gleam in her eyes. “It’s been so long since you’ve had company that I didn’t think I needed to call first.”  
  
Arthur groaned, running a hand over his face, and wondering when his life had become so weird.  
  
“I’m Morgana,” she continued, ignoring Arthur, holding her hand out.  
  
“Merlin,” Merlin replied, gripping her hand and shaking it. Arthur saw Morgana tense, the movement making him step closer to his sister, wondering what had caused the change in her.  
  
“It’s lovely to meet you, Merlin,” Morgana said, the tension seeping from her shoulders, her face calm by the time he managed to see it.  
  
“You too. But I, uh, should be going,” Merlin replied, giving her a small smile, before turning and meeting Arthur’s eyes. Part of Arthur was glad the vampire was going, while another part wanted to tell him stay, to see if they could finish what they had started.  
  
“I’ll see you later,” Merlin said quietly, before the other man made his way to the door. Arthur couldn’t help but watch him leave, an ache starting in his chest, before he reminded himself that Merlin was a _vampire_.  
  
“He seems nice.”  
  
Morgana’s voice had him tearing his eyes away from the hallway, a dull heat making its way across his cheeks as he looked at the amused gleam in his sister’s eyes.  
  
“He’s … not a friend,” Arthur replied.  
  
“Really?” Morgana asked, sly grin on her face. “Then what was your ‘not’ friend doing here?”  
  
“He’s a doctor, at the Mercian actually.”  
  
Arthur answered as he moved over to the bar and poured two drinks, bringing them both over to Morgana and handing her one, before sitting on the couch.  
  
“Mmhmm.”  
  
Morgana didn’t rise to the bait. Arthur was sure she would start asking about Merlin and which department he worked in, but for once his sister’s natural curiosity seemed to be taking a back seat.  
  
“He was just checking on my injuries after the altercation.”  
  
That seemed to wipe the smirk off Morgana’s face, his sister coming to sit next to him.  
  
“How are you?” she asked, eyes running over him, lingering on his arm and neck, concern clear on her face.  
  
“Fine, just a few cuts and bruises.”  
  
“Maybe I should take you in to the Hospital,” Morgana said, reaching out and touching his ‘injured’ arm.  
  
“That’s why Merlin was here,” Arthur answered.  
  
Morgana stared at him a moment longer before seeming to believe that he was all right. She took a long sip from her drink and Arthur thought he might actually get to sleep soon. He really should’ve known better, it was Morgana after all.  
  
“Are we going to talk about Valiant?”  
  
Arthur couldn’t help but choke on his drink, staring over at where Morgana sat, her eyes narrowed as she watched him.  
  
“What are you talking about?” Arthur asked, already thinking of the horrible tasks Leon would be doing for the next month.  
  
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Arthur,” Morgana replied, crossing her arms. “I know he isn’t dead.”  
  
“I’m going to kill, Leon,” Arthur muttered, staring down into his glass.  
  
“I’m fine,” he said louder. “We’ll find him and dispose of him.”  
  
“Arthur,” Morgana started, sliding closer to him. “You never did get that counselling I suggested. And with him back now, I think it would be best if you talked to someone, _anyone_ , about this. You don’t want it to affect your work.”  
  
“It won’t,” Arthur replied sharply, standing up. “It’s been a long day and I need some rest.”  
  
Morgana stared up at him, clearly tossing up whether it would be worth it for her to continue arguing, before rolling her eyes and joining him. She came closer and kissed his cheek, before pulling him into a hug.  
  
“I worry about you,” she whispered, Arthur wrapping his arms around her and squeezing before stepping back.  
  
“I’ll be fine.”  
  
She patted his cheek once, before turning and making her way down the hallway, Arthur following her so he could lock up behind her.  
  
“I don’t think he’s just a doctor to you, by the way,” Morgana said, as she opened the door. “Anyone who sees you two together can see the magic between you.”  
  
Snorting, Arthur ignored the way his heart raced at his sister’s words, rolling his eyes as he looked away.  
  
“Good bye, Morgana,” Arthur said, leaning on the door jamb.  
  
“Good night, Wart,” she replied, giving him one last grin before heading down the stairs.

 

“So what horrible tasks do you have planned for me?”  
  
Looking up, Arthur took in Leon, not missing the way the man was grinning as he leaned casually against the door jam.  
  
“I’ve decided to wait to give you your tasks,” Arthur replied, going back to the papers he’d been reading through.  
  
“Can’t think of anything horrible enough yet?” Leon asked, amusement clear in his voice.  
  
Sending a glare at the other man, Arthur went back to his information. Elyan had worked out majority of the areas that had been circled on the map Gwaine had found partly burnt in the apartment. Arthur was trying to figure out what the places all had in common, but he couldn’t. The four places they had found were in a circular area, the dots not consistent. One was over an apartment building, another a park, another a deserted area and the last one a hospital.  
  
The places weren’t owned by the same company or person, different people worked at the locations and there didn’t seem to be anything that connected the places. Elyan and Percy were trying to figure out where the fifth dot could be and see if that somehow brought them together. But Arthur had a feeling that it wasn’t so much the places that connected together as it was a person.  
  
He felt it in his gut, that this was related to someone, not something. He’d run checks to see if Sophia or Aulfric had a connection to the places but had come up with nothing. Clearly there was someone else involved, possibly this ‘Emrys’ that the vampire and werewolf were looking for.  
  
Gwaine had run the name and come back with nothing solid. There were no Emrys’s residing in the city or surrounding towns. They had a list of names that were similar to Emrys, Arthur wondering if the person had changed his name to try and throw the creatures off their trail. It’s what Arthur would do.  
  
“Morgana told me to invite you over for dinner tonight,” Leon continued, coming in to sit in one of the chairs in front of Arthur.  
  
“We’re busy,” Arthur replied, knowing he could put the pieces together if he could just _think_.  
  
“And she said ‘If Arthur says ‘we’re busy’, kindly remind him that sparing an hour or two to eat will help him in the long run. The mind can’t run on will power alone’. Her words, Wart, not mine.”  
  
Looking at his watch, Arthur saw it was close to 7:00 pm, glaring as he realised his second had purposefully left it til this late so he couldn’t find an excuse not to go.  
  
“She’s invited the whole team and some of her friends from work,” Leon continued, grinning at him again when he looked up, clearly knowing that Arthur had picked up on his trick.  
  
“I’m not going to a party.”  
  
“It’s dinner, Wart,” Leon replied, leaning forward, concern flashing through his eyes. Arthur hated when the Knights looked at him like that, part of him feeling that he was the one who should look after them, not the other way around. “An hour, two, tops.”  
  
Sighing, Arthur ran a hand through his hair, not shocked when his phone started ringing. He knew who it would be even before he answered the phone.  
  
“You better be coming.”  
  
“Hello, Morgana, so lovely to hear from you. I’m fine, how are you?” Arthur greeted, not missing the smile Leon tried to smother.  
  
“I mean it, Arthur Pendragon. I’ll see you in fifteen.” She hung up before Arthur could respond, Arthur glaring once more at the man across from him before picking up his coat, pulling it on.  
  
“Let’s go.”  
  
Leon followed behind him, Arthur not missing the fact that the other man was watching him like he would watch one of their targets, clearly thinking that Arthur would run at the slightest opportunity. And Arthur would, if he had a reason, something that would give him a leg to stand on when Morgana came after him. It wouldn’t help in the long run, but Arthur wouldn’t feel so guilty. But unfortunately nothing cropped up between him getting into Leon’s car and them pulling up to Morgana’s.  
  
Arthur should have known, he thought to himself later on. He really should’ve clicked when Leon had mentioned that Morgana was bringing friends from work, but he hadn’t been thinking about much more than the work he had waiting for him back in the office.  
  
Which was why he almost froze when he walked in and met familiar blue eyes - he even wondered if he was dreaming for a second. Then Merlin somehow tripped where he stood, snapping Arthur out of his shock, and splashing his drink on the woman next to him. Gwen only smiled fondly at Merlin, Lance already next to her and cleaning the mess off her arm.  
  
If he didn’t know better, Arthur would have put Merlin as the last person who could ever be a vampire. The man seemed too clumsy, holding none of the grace that most vampires possessed, he didn’t have the same arrogant aura, or cocky attitude.  
  
“Arthur, you made it.”  
  
Pasting a smile on his face, Arthur waited until he turned to glare at his sister, Morgana simply raising an eyebrow to let him know that she was not at all intimidated by him.  
  
“Dinner’s ready,” she called, sending one last smile Arthur’s way before sauntering into the dining room.  
  
Arthur should have clicked on to the fact that Morgana would place him next to Merlin.  
  
They ate in silence for a while, the conversations going on around them, Arthur trying to ignore the warmth coming from the other man.  
  
“How’s your neck?” Merlin asked quietly, Arthur turning and meeting the intense gaze next to him. Trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks, Arthur turned back to his food, clearing his throat as he tried to will his reaction away.  
  
“Fine,” Arthur replied curtly.  
  
“Are you always such a part?”  
  
“Excuse me?” Arthur replied, unable to stop himself from turning to the other man.  
  
“A prat,” Merlin said, lips twitching. “Are you always so prattish?”  
  
“I don’t think that’s actually a word,” Arthur replied.  
  
“Is now.”  
  
“You can’t just make up words, Merlin,” Arthur said, reaching out and taking a sip of his water. Merlin didn’t answer him, and Arthur looked over with triumph, only to freeze when he saw the man’s gaze on his throat.  
  
Swallowing hard, Arthur couldn’t stop his heart racing as gold tinged eyes met his, breaths coming a little faster. All the dreams he’d had over the past few days came back to him, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Merlin’s lips were as soft in real life as they had been in his dreams. He felt himself lean forward, before Gwaine’s laugh reminded him where he was.  
  
Leaning back, he ignored the disappointment in his gut, reminding himself that despite appearances the man next to him was a monster, a vampire, and his job was to stop people like him.  
  
**  
  
 _Groaning, Arthur barely managed to stop himself from coming, the tight heat surrounding him making him so close to the edge that one thrust would send him over. Taking a deep breath, he managed to get himself under control, the edge pushed back as he reined his desire in.  
  
“Are you going to move?”  
  
Growling, he looked down at the amused golden eyes, the small grin on the face, raven hair mussed from where he’d been running his hands through it.  
  
“Patience is a virtue, Merlin,” he murmured, slowly rolling his hips, grinning when he hit something that made Merlin whimper.  
  
“Nothing to say now?” Arthur asked, as he continued to slowly move, hitting the spot, Merlin glaring back up at him, although it was somewhat ruined by the pleasure that crossed his face.  
  
“Move,” Merlin replied, wrapping his legs around Arthur.  
  
Grinning, Arthur continued his slow pace, before he felt the spark cross his skin, the edge that much closer. He didn’t resist it this time, but reached a hand down to wrap around Merlin’s arousal, wanting the vampire to come before he did.  
  
The pleasure wound tighter around him, the sparks crossing his skin making it feel like Merlin had his hands and mouth everywhere, and he couldn’t stop himself from coming if he tried._  
  
Groaning as he woke, Arthur glared up at the ceiling. He blamed Merlin entirely for the predicament he was in. He’d never felt anything for the creatures they’d met before, and would have felt nothing for Merlin if the man was what he was meant to be.  
  
Vampires were meant to be graceful, elegant, sleek, the perfect predator. Not clumsy, awkward, goofy looking with his ears and yet beautiful at the same time. Merlin shouldn’t be making him dream of things that his father would be disgusted with if he knew.  
  
Throwing his bed sheets off, he swung his legs out of bed, leaning his elbows on his knees as his head dropped into his hands.  
  
He hadn’t seen Merlin since the dinner Morgana had held three days ago, and an ache in his chest had started ever since he’d left the dinner to go back to work, something in him shouting that he needed to see Merlin, to be near the vampire.  
  
Which was ridiculous. He didn’t need anything to do with the vampire.  
  
It was just the case. They hadn’t made any progress since the missions and clearly Arthur was upset about it, although he would never let anyone see that. This was clearly his mind’s way of showing him that.  
  
There had been no further information from tracking Sophia’s cards and no further sightings of her. Their informants hadn’t been able to give them anymore leads and they hadn’t been able to figure out what the dots on the map had in common, which meant they were no closer to figuring out where the fifth dot would be.  
  
Valiant and his men had gone quiet, not using anymore of the places that Arthur and the Knights had flagged or killing in the manner that they were used to.  
  
All of this led to Arthur feeling frustrated and useless, part of him hating the fact that he was letting his father down.  
  
His phone rang, vibrating on the night stand as it did.  
  
“This is Arthur.”  
  
“Arthur.” Arthur felt himself straighten as he heard his father’s voice, wondering what had his father calling him so early in the morning.

 

“I was thinking you could join me for breakfast,” Uther continued smoothly. “It has come to my attention that I may have some information you could use.”  
  
“At the mansion?” Arthur asked, bypassing the latter comment, knowing his father wouldn’t say anything about information over the phone.  
  
“In an hour,” Uther replied. “I’ll see you then, Arthur.”  
  
“See you then,” Arthur answered, pulling his phone away and hanging up.  
  
He quickly got dressed and made his way to his car, not wasting any time getting over to his father’s, wondering what it was his father had to tell him. Had one of his father’s informants found Sophia? Did he pick up something Arthur and his men had missed?  
  
By the time he got to the mansion, Arthur had decided that the information was most likely related to the case but not something he and his men had missed. If that were the case his father would’ve called him into his office, not to his mansion to have breakfast.  
  
“Ah, Master Pendragon.”  
  
Giving a small smile, Arthur walked into the foyer, taking off his coat and hanging it up in the coat room.  
  
“How are you, Gaius?” Arthur asked.  
  
Gaius’s official title was butler, however his father had hired the man for his physician skills. The man had been the best physician, working in one of the best hospitals in the country, right up until an accident. Arthur had tried to find out exactly what happened, but there had been no record. All he knew was that his father had been willing to give him a job as a butler and physician for the Pendragons.  
  
But Gaius had been more than a butler and physician to Arthur, he’d been there with sage advice when Arthur most needed it, there with a quick hug and cake when Arthur needed cheering up.  
  
Over the years he had become part of the family, and Arthur couldn’t think of the mansion or his life without the older man.  
  
“I am well,” Gaius replied, soft expression on his face, as if he still saw Arthur as the young boy he had once been, which could explain why Arthur always felt like a small child in the old man’s presence. “And you?”  
  
“Also well,” Arthur replied, patting the old man on his shoulder.  
  
Gaius walked with him towards the parlour.  
  
“Mistress Morgana told me that you were injured recently,” Gaius said politely, although his eyebrow was raised in the ‘don’t try to lie to me, young man’ position.  
  
“And I got treated by a doctor,” Arthur replied, which was technically true.  
  
“Good,” Gaius answered, eyebrow dropping.  
  
Arthur made a note to remind Morgana that he didn’t need her big nose in his business, before he entered the parlour, his father already sitting down, cup of tea in front of him. He was holding the paper in front of him, sharp eyes reading over something that was no doubt important in the business world.  
  
“Ah, Arthur, just on time,” Uther said, folding the paper and placing it to one side.  
  
Arthur nodded at his father as he sat down, the both of them waiting until they had their breakfast in front of them before they started talking.  
  
“It has come to my attention that you are searching for someone called ‘Emrys’.”  
  
Swallowing the bite of toast he’d just taken, Arthur nodded, wondering how his father knew what they had been up to, feeling somewhat uneasy at the thought that his father was watching his movements.  
  
“You know who they are?” Arthur asked, pushing his uneasiness to the side.  
  
“I came across information about him when I first started hunting the creatures,” Uther replied, taking a sip of his tea.  
  
Arthur frowned as he realised that ‘Emrys’ was clearly much older than he had thought, for some reason he had imagined the person would be closer to his age.  
  
“There was a coven of witches I came across,” Uther continued, thoughtful look on his face. “Just before I killed the last one, she mentioned that I would be sorry, that Emrys had finally come, and people like me were going to feel ‘magic’s’ full wrath when the circle was complete. That magic would flow like water and destroy their enemies. She called it the Wrath of Magic.”  
  
“Did you ever find him?” Arthur asked, trying to ignore the chill that ran through him at his father’s words.  
  
“No,” Uther answered. “I looked for him for months, and made sure to keep my computer searching for any mention of the name. So far there has been nothing. Whoever, this Emrys man is, he isn’t living under his name, and as far as I can tell he has never joined with any of the creatures.”  
  
Arthur had come to that conclusion himself. If Emrys had been with one of the creature packs, they would’ve come across something on him by now, their informants were very good at their jobs. He just hadn’t realised that the man was involved with magic.  
  
“Do you think he moved on?” Arthur asked.  
  
“Possibly,” Uther replied. “Although the fact that there are creatures looking for him here makes me think that he still resides here somewhere.”  
  
They finished the breakfast quickly after that, Uther having business to attend to and Arthur keen to get back to work, knowing that he could figure the case out if he could just think. He felt it in his gut that everything that was happening came down to completing the circle the witch had been speaking about. Although why it was happening now and not back all those years ago, Arthur couldn’t figure it out.  
  
Maybe it was a ritual of some kind and needed certain perameters in place to do it. How did Sophia come into play though? What did she have or could she do that would help?  
  
Or was the girl actually dead and Arthur was completely on the wrong path?  
  
Shaking his father’s hand as he left the breakfast table, Arthur made his way out to the hallway, the ideas and thoughts swirling around in his head.  
  
“I have often found that when I’m looking for information, a book is usually helpful.”  
  
Gaius’s quiet voice shocked Arthur into drawing his weapon, the old man simply raising an eyebrow at it, before looking up at Arthur with what could almost be called amusement.  
  
“A book?” Arthur asked.  
  
“I would suggest the Dragon’s Keep,” Gaius continued, holding Arthur’s coat out to him. “It has never let me down in the past.”  
  
  
  
The Dragon’s Keep was a musty, old book shop that had books piled all over the place, a thick layer of dust covering most of them, and Arthur couldn’t help but wonder if Gaius was going senile in his old age. How he would find information here? Arthur had no idea. He doubted there was a book under fifty years old here.  
  
He turned to leave but was stopped by a voice.  
  
“Leaving so soon, young Pendragon?”  
  
The voice was gravelly and low, and seemed to come from all around him, like the voice was echoing off the books and wall.  
  
“How did you know my name?” Arthur asked, feeling goose bumps erupt on his skin.  
  
“I know a great many things,” the voice replied, amusement clear to hear. “If you ask the right questions.”  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Arthur slowly walked through the shelves and books, keeping his guard up, ready for an attack from any angle.  
  
A rumbled laugh echoed from all around him, but it sounded a little louder, and that was when he caught sight of the man it belonged to. The man was ancient, with long white hair and beard, skin wrinkly and pale. His eyes however showed just how sharp he was, intelligence and cunning clear to see in the way they sparkled. Arthur couldn’t help but be reminded of the old adage not to judge a book by its cover.  
  
He moved past the last book shelf and towards the table where the old man sat, books piled around him, both on the table and the floor, the only free surface the chair in front of the table.  
  
“Who are you?” Arthur asked.  
  
“I’ve many names, young one, but you may call me Kilgarrah,” the old man, Kilgarrah, replied, indicating for Arthur to take the seat in front of him. Moving slowly, Arthur pulled the chair close to him, before sitting in it, still not feeling comfortable, something about the man ringing all the warning bells in his head  
  
“A friend sent me,” Arthur continued, trying to push the uneasiness away. “He thought you might have some information.”  
  
“Did he now?” Kilgarrah replied, leaning back in his chair, hands coming up so the fingertips from each hand meet. “And just what is this information you’re looking for pertain to?”  
  
“A man named Emrys,” Arthur answered.  
  
His response had another rumbling laugh leave the man, amusement making the corner of his eyes crinkle.  
  
“I must admit,” Kilgarrah started, “I had thought I’d see you before now. But it is only right that you come to me asking about him.”  
  
Frowning, Arthur narrowed his eyes more, wondering if Gaius knew how odd the owner of the book shop was.  
  
“After all he is the other side of your coin,” Kilgarrah continued, smile crossing his face. Arthur noticed the other man’s teeth, wondering if he was imaging the way they seemed to be sharper than normal.  
  
“You’re both destined for great things.”  
  
Before Arthur could respond, the old man was standing up, making his way over to a chest of drawers and pulling something out, before coming back and placing a box on the table between them.  
  
“So you have information about him then?” Arthur asked, deciding to ignore the old man’s prophesying and stick with the questions that could actually help him.  
  
“Not in the way you think. And you already have all the information you need,” the old man responded, blowing dust off the box before sliding the lid off.  
  
Arthur opened his mouth to respond, before his eye was caught by the flash of silver from the box. He couldn’t help but lean forward, eyes widening as he took in the silver stake, the intricate designs carved into it, the way it almost seemed to shine.  
  
“Take it.”  
  
Looking up, Arthur wondered what the old man was playing at, what he had planned, but he couldn’t help but reach out and lift the stake from the box. A tingle ran up his hand as the weight settled into his palm, the weapon seeming to mold to his hand. It felt natural in his hand, like an old favourite weapon. Moving it around, he peered closer when he caught the brief flash of lettering on the stake.  
  
“Excalibur,” he whispered, running his thumb over the letters, a spark running from his hand and into his chest, ending near his heart.  
  
“Some things,” Kilgarrah started leaning towards him, “are always meant to be. And no matter what others do to try and change them, they will always find a way to come into being.”  
  
A shiver ran over Arthur as the words seemed to flow over him and he couldn’t help but wonder if the man in front of him was more than he appeared. The moment was broken when a door was flung open behind Kilgarrah, Arthur unable to stop the way he straightened when he saw a familiar raven head.  
  
“Alright, Dragon, I’m here, what was so important …”  
  
Merlin’s voice trailed off when their eyes met, Arthur unable to stop the want that seemed to seep through him. He pushed the feeling down, reminding himself that he couldn’t want a monster, even if Merlin seemed to be different.  
  
“Arthur?”  
  
“Merlin,” Arthur replied, nodding his head before standing up.  
  
“What are you doing here?” Merlin asked, coming into the room, almost tripping over a pile of books as he did.  
  
“Young Pendragon was looking for information,” Kilgarrah said, smug smirk on his face as he looked between the two of them. “ I was just going to see if my dinner is ready.”  
  
The old man moved much quicker than appearances would’ve led Arthur to believe, solidifying the thought that Kilgarrah may be more than Arthur had thought.  
  
“Information?” Merlin asked, eyes straying down to the stake in Arthur’s hand. Arthur couldn’t help but stare at the other man’s face, wondering why the vampire turned to glare at the door Kilgarrah had gone through.  
  
“He didn’t really give me any information,” Arthur replied, frowning when he realised the old man really hadn’t.  
  
Merlin snorted, turning to look at him with amusement clear on his face.  
  
“He’s like that,” Merlin said, running a hand through his hair. “Always with the cryptic comments and grand destinies.”  
  
They stood in silence after that, their eyes meeting every now and again. Arthur was surprised that he didn’t feel the need to use the stake that was in his hand, and was surprised that the vampire didn’t seem uncomfortable that he was holding it in his hand.  
  
“So, uh, I was thinking,” Merlin started, biting his lip before speaking again. “Maybe we could go out for coffee? And I could … I mean we’re not _all_ bad … some of us just want to live our life.”  
  
‘Yes’ was the first thing that came to Arthur’s mind, every part of him wanting to take the offer, to be convinced. But he couldn’t, Merlin was a vampire, and he couldn’t let his mind be clouded by personal feelings. He should be trying to kill the man in front of him, not imagining how his lips would feel against his.  
  
“I can’t,” he whispered, shaking his head, before making his way out of the book shop as quickly as he could, not letting himself look back.  
  
**  
  
“Aithusa.”  
  
“Really not interested in your latest conquest, Gwaine,” Arthur replied, studying the papers in front of him.  
  
“Whatever, Princess, we both know you live vicariously through me,” Gwaine answered, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Arthur’s desk and swinging his feet up so they were up on Arthur’s desk.  
  
Arthur glared at the boots, but Gwaine simply grinned back at him, raising an eyebrow that said ‘I’m not at all intimidated by you, Sunshine’. Sighing, Arthur leant back in his chair, tapping his pen against his desk.  
  
“Well, who is Aithusa?” Arthur asked.  
  
“Not who, what,” Gwaine replied. “It’s a club.”  
  
“I don’t see why I’d be interested in this,” Arthur said, leaning his head back against his chair.  
  
“Because Sophia was seen there with some hulking ‘friends’ last night,” Gwaine replied, grin still plastered on his face.  
  
Those words had Arthur’s full attention.  
  
“How do you know?” he asked.  
  
“Had some friends there who knew her from before she was taken,” Gwaine answered. “Asked them to keep an eye out for her back when we first started. They sent me a message last night.”  
  
“And why didn’t you call me last night?” Arthur asked, through gritted teeth.  
  
“I went there, Princess, and she was long gone,” Gwaine replied, folding his arms. “Didn’t seem any point to wake you up. You look like shit as it is, and I figured you could use all the sleep you could get. And before you get your panties in a twist, I called Leon and Lance to cover my back. We scoured the area, but she was long gone.”  
  
“Do we have pictures of the men she was with?”  
  
Photos were tossed in front of him. Arthur studied the faces of the three men with Sophia, the three hulking men, that he would bet were werewolves, the three not elegant or sophisticated enough to be vampires.  
  
“I.D’s?” Arthur asked, looking up at the other man.  
  
“Nothing,” Gwaine replied, letting out a sigh, Arthur able to see the disappointment on the man’s face. “Elyan’s running through more databases, but it isn’t looking promising.”  
  
Tapping the photos on the desk, Arthur stared into the distance, trying to plan what they should do next, how they woud go about finding out who the men were. The good news, was that Sophia was still alive, although she looked terrified, unharmed at the moment.  
  
“What do they want with her?” he asked suddenly. “There’s got to be a reason they grabbed her, a reason they haven’t hurt her and are sticking close to her.”  
  
“Maybe it’s not who she is, but who she knows?” Gwaine replied.  
  
Arthur stared at the man for a long moment, running his comment through his mind. Maybe he had been looking at this all wrong. Maybe Sophia wasn’t an opportunistic grab, maybe these people had purposefully grabbed her to get to someone. Someone like her father, who dealt in importing and exporting.  
  
Standing up suddenly, chair rolling away from his desk and slamming into the wall, he grabbed his jacket and put it on.  
  
“We going somewhere?” Gwaine asked, following him as he stalked outside. The other knights watched them as they made their way towards the car spaces. He waved them off, knowing they would’ve asked questions if Gwaine hadn’t been hot on his heels.  
  
He couldn’t believe it had taken him so long to ask himself why the creatures had taken Sophia, angry at himself that he’d just assumed it was some unplanned grab, a vampire taking a liking to the girl and taking her.  
  
Getting into the car, he started it, only to stop when Gwaine’s hand fell on his.  
  
“Helps when I know what to prepare for, mate,” Gwaine said, completely serious. This was why Gwaine was a good hunter, because even though he liked to joke and play around, you could always count on him to take things seriously when the going got tough. You knew that the other man would have your back in a protective manner that showed how much he cared for all the Knights.  
  
“We’re going to speak to Aulfric Trimor.”  
  
Gwaine nodded once, letting Arthur’s hand go and putting his seat belt on. Arthur drove like a man on a mission, and they made their way to Aulfric’s company in no time, parking in one of the spots meant for the vice presidents.  
  
“You know, sometimes I forget how much I like angry you,” Gwaine murmured to him, grinning at the spot where Arthur had parked, before following Arthur inside. The grin fell off his face after a few moments though, Gwaine’s face returning the serious look it had had before. They made their way to the first lot of secretaries, Arthur’s last name getting them up to the floor they needed to be on and walking up to Aulfric’s secretary’s desk.  
  
“Can I help you?” the secretary asked, smiling up at them. Arthur didn’t miss the way the woman’s eyes strayed to Gwaine, knowing if he didn’t have any luck, Gwaine might.  
  
“We’re here to see Aulfric,” Arthur replied, charming smile on his face, feeling a little smug when the woman stared at it for a moment, before turning to her computer.  
  
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked, looking up at him beneath fluttering eyelashes.  
  
“He’ll see us,” Arthur replied confidently.  
  
“I’m sorry, sir, but without an appo-”  
  
“Please call him and tell him Arthur Pendragon needs to talk to him,” Arthur said, cutting the woman off.  
  
The woman stared at him for a long moment, before shaking her head.  
  
“I’m sorry, sir, but Mister Trimor doesn’t like to be disturbed unless people have an appo-”  
  
“He’s going to like it even less when he finds out you kept us out here waiting,” Arthur replied, through trying to be polite and charming.  
  
The woman sighed, shaking her head as she picked up the phone.  
  
“Mister Trimor, sir, I’m so sorry to interrupt you but there’s an Arthur Pendra … Yes, sir … Right away, sir.”  
  
“You can go right through,” she said, giving them a strained smile.  
  
Nodding, Arthur stalked past the woman and towards the door with Aulfric’s name on it, Gwaine right behind him.  
  
“Arthur, my boy,” Aulfric said, standing up and coming around to shake Arthur’s and then Gwaine’s hand, Arthur introducing the two men. “I wish we were meeting in better circumstances. Do you have news on Sophia?”  
  
“She was seen at a club last night,” Arthur replied, as they all settled down into their seats. Arthur was a little shocked at Aulfric’s office. It was the complete opposite of his father’s, all warm and inviting, with comfortable chairs. The only thing that seemed to be the same was that Aulfric had a picture of his wife on his wall just like Uther did. Aulfric’s wife seemed to be surrounded by water in the picture, her eyes a glowing blue.  
  
“She’s alive?” Aulfric said, his hands gripping the table, relief clear on his face, as he leaned towards them.  
  
“For now,” Gwaine replied.  
  
“Although it doesn’t help us in finding her when people don’t give us all the information,” Arthur added, watching the man closely, seeing the flash of guilt that ran across Aulfric’s face. He couldn’t help but grit his teeth, angry that he hadn’t spoken to the man earlier, maybe they could’ve found Sophia quicker.  
  
“I don’t know what-”  
  
“Sir, your respiratory rate just went up, you’ve started to sweat, your eyes are slightly more dilated and I’m sure if I felt your pulse it would’ve shot up,” Gwaine said, cutting Aulfric off. “We know you’re lying. Now why don’t you tell us what this is all really about.”  
  
“I will not be accused of this … this … fallacy in my own office,” Aulfric replied, almost shouting. “How dare you accuse me of hiding something about my daughter disappearing. How dare you accuse me of lying! If I had a response it’s because my daughter has been kidnapped by monsters, and the people who are supposed to be finding her are trying to blame me.”  
  
Arthur watched as the man stood up, wondering if the man realised how quickly they could take him down, how not threatening he was to them.  
  
“If you know something,” Arthur started quietly, “something that could help us, you need to tell us. Because I’ve never seen them keep a human with them, not like they have with her, and there has to be a reason for that.”  
  
“I don’t know,” Aulfric replied, Arthur’s quiet tone clearly calming him down, as the older man sat down. “I’m sorry. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”  
  
“You-”  
  
“Thank you for your time, sir,” Arthur said, cutting Gwaine off, sending him a look that said to keep quiet. Gwaine didn’t look happy, but closed his mouth, standing when Arthur did. “I realise it’s a difficult time for you.”  
  
“Yes, well, I’m sorry if I yelled,” Aulfric replied, relief clear to see in his face as he stood and followed them to the door. Arthur turned and shook his hand once, before leaving.  
  
He could feel Gwaine’s questioning gaze on him the entire way back to the car, but he shook his head when Gwaine had opened his mouth. They had barely gotten into the car before the other man was speaking.  
  
“He’s lying!”  
  
“Yes,” Arthur answered, pulling the car out of the parking lot.  
  
“So why didn’t you call him on it?” Gwaine asked. “Why didn’t you push him, Arthur? What he’s hiding could be the difference between finding this girl or not. To figuring out what these creatures are doing.”  
  
“He wasn’t going to tell us, Gwaine,” Arthur replied, looking over at the other Knight, not surprised to see the anger on his face. “Whatever it is, it’s something he doesn’t want us to know. He’s hiding something big, something bigger than just importing something for these things.”  
  
“Maybe he did import something though,” Gwaine argued. “Something illegal, and magical, and now they’re threatening to kill the girl if he tells.”  
  
“Or there’s something about him, something about Sophia,” Arthur replied. He couldn’t help but remember Merlin’s words, _some of us just want to live our lives_ , and felt it in his gut that maybe this was more the reason Aulfric wasn’t speaking to them.  
  
Why would he tell hunters that he was what they hunted? That the girl they were looking for was a creature that in different circumstances they would kill. Aulfric would want them to find Sophia, to save her, and he couldn’t be sure that they would if they found out she was something different.  
  
They made their way back to the Office in silence, the two of them too caught up with their thoughts. Arthur realised that even though he thought Aulfric may be a creature, his first thought wasn’t to kill the man, or his daughter, but to help them. Which was ridiculous, his job was to stop these creatures before they hurt people, not help them.  
  
Pulling into the parking space, he got out of the car and walked into the Office. He stopped when Elyan popped up in front of them, big smile on his face, Percy looking on in amusement where he sat on Arthur’s desk.  
  
“You’re not going to believe this,” he said, eye shining.  
  
“What?” Arthur asked, reaching out to take the file the man had in his hands.  
  
“Remember a couple of cases ago, when we were hunting those trolls? And one of them mentioned a building with files upon files of information, lore, on all the different creatures?”  
  
“Yes,” Arthur replied, eyes flicking over the papers. “We looked for it, but decided the thing was talking nonsense. That there was no library or ‘Librarian’.”  
  
“I don’t think they were lying,” Elyan answered, leaning forward. “And I think this building might be it.”  
  
Arthur’s head snapped up to look at the man, seeing the honesty and truth in the man’s brown eyes, before looking down at the schematics of the building.  
  
“What makes you think that?” Arthur asked.  
  
“This man,” Elyan said, tapping a photo in the file. “His name’s Geoffrey Monmouth. I think he may be the Librarian. He was kidnapped by vampire’s years ago, there’s been no trace of him since then, but I got this image off Aithusa’s cameras.”  
  
“Doesn’t mean he’s the Librarian though,” Arthur replied.  
  
“The man was a genealogist and Librarian to one of the biggest libraries in the world,” Elyan argued. “Who better to order the information and make a library than him?”  
  
It made sense, if the creatures wanted someone to create order, Monmouth seemed to be the guy. Although why they would want a library was beyond Arthur.  
  
“One way we can check,” Percy added. “Go and check the club out. See if there’s anything there.”  
  
  
  
Sipping his drink, Arthur let his eyes wander around the crowd, trying to see the man who they had come looking for. He was also keeping an eye out for Sophia, although he was sure that the people holding her wouldn’t be bringing her back here.  
  
Gwaine and Lance were around somewhere, the two men adamant that they were coming with him when he’d decided to take Percy’s advice and check the club out. Arthur had kept his eyes on the staff, watching the doors they came and went through. There were two doors that he thought could lead them somewhere, one that seemed to go upstairs and one that went downstairs.  
  
Taking another sip, Arthur froze as he felt something sweep over him, almost like a caress. Taking a deep breath he let his eyes wander over the crowd, freezing when his eyes met familiar blue ones.  
  
Merlin.  
  
Turning his back on the vampire, Arthur faced the bar, giving the bar tender a small smile, before his eyes caught something moving in the mirror. He was shocked when he realised he was looking at Geoffrey making his way through the crowd, the older man followed by two men, making their way to the door that led upstairs.  
  
Sipping his drink, Arthur managed to ignore the looks and come ons by the people around him, managed to ignore the warmth he could feel rush through him from one set of eyes that seemed to linger on him from time to time.  
  
He’d informed Lance and Gwaine about what was going on and the other men were waiting for him to make a move. He’d try and get upstairs once Geoffrey and the men left, see if there was anything in the club they could use. Lance would be look out in the club, while Gwaine would go outside and watch the entrances from the back  
  
It was hours later when the men finally came back down from upstairs, Arthur waiting until they’d left completely before heading towards the door. It was much easier to get into than Arthur had expected, just a little jimmying and the door opened, Lance giving him a nod as he sneaked through the door and upstairs.  
  
It was the fourth door he tried that finally convinced him that Elyan was onto something. The room was much bigger than the other’s he’d seen, the one room encompassing the whole side of the building. It was filled with filing cabinets, and row after row of book shelves, full of papers and books. In the middle of everything was a lounge and desk, a lone computer sitting on the desk.  
  
Making his way further into the room, Arthur felt a shiver run through him, the room making him feel like he was being watched, like the shelves and books could sense his presence. Ignoring the feeling, he made his way to the lounge, starting the computer up.  
  
It would take months, if not years, to go through all the books and papers, so he could only hope that the creatures had started to archive all their information on the computer. The computer stopped on a login page, and Arthur couldn’t help but be glad that they had a computer genius on their team.  
  
Elyan had given him a code breaker earlier that day, the knight clearly having a feeling that Arthur would most likely need to hack into a computer to get the information they were after. The device took no time at all breaking through the login, and Arthur mentally noted to tell Elyan how quickly it had broken the login.  
  
The computer was an old one, one Arthur had used back when he was in grade school, so he found it easy to navigate through. Pulling up the documents file, Arthur stared in shock at the number of files. Geoffrey had clearly been organised and efficient, a huge number of documents appearing in each file Arthur pulled up.  
  
Clicking on the files, he wasn’t surprised to see that the documents were all written in code, all though he had hoped that Geoffrey, or the creatures, would think that he didn’t need to do that.  
  
Using Elyan’s device again, he started to decode and download the files onto the device, eyes straying to the books and cabinets around the room. Standing up, he made his way over to one of the book shelves, fingers tracing along the books.  
  
There had always been something about books that Arthur had loved, something about the feel and smell of them that made him relax. His father didn’t talk much about his mother, but Gaius had told him that his mother had been the same way, could sit for hours in the library his father had created for her. It was something that made him feel closer to her.  
  
He’d always wondered how it was possible to miss someone you had never known.  
  
He heard a creak a moment before the door started to open. He reached down and pulled Excalibur from his belt, making his way quickly towards the door, but only making it half way before the person strode in.  
  
He froze as he saw the familiar raven hair and pale skin, rolling his eyes as he met flashing blue eyes.  
  
“Merlin?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“What are _you_ doing here?” Merlin shot back, closing the door quietly.  
  
“My job,” Arthur replied. “What’s your reason?”  
  
“Do you have any idea what they’ll do to you if they find you here?” Merlin asked, moving closer.  
  
“Of course I’m aware of what they’ll do,” Arthur answered. “The same thing that’s happened to me the other times I’ve been caught.”  
  
“You’ve been caught before?” Merlin asked, not giving Arthur time to answer before he spoke again. “What did they do to you?”  
  
Arthur felt heat rush through him at the growl in Merlin’s voice, his body responding to the tone before he reminded himself that he wasn’t interested in Merlin that way.  
  
“Not exactly the time, Merlin. You should go.”  
  
“We both should go,” Merlin replied.  
  
“No, you should go and do whatever it was you came here to do. And I’ll stay and finish what I came here to do,” Arthur answered, wanting the vampire gone, not liking the feelings that were running through him at being in the man’s presence.  
  
“If you’re staying, I’m staying,” Merlin replied, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow in question at Arthur.  
  
“Fine, stay,” Arthur said through gritted teeth, glaring at the vampire. “But at least … do something productive. Help me look for information.”  
  
Merlin glared at him for a moment longer, before he slumped, nodding his head, as he moved to one of the draws, opening it and rifling through the papers. Arthur couldn’t help but stare at the other man’s face, tracing the cheekbones with his eyes, wondering if the skin that covered them was as soft as he thought, before he shook himself out of it. He had a job to do, and it didn’t involve thinking about a certain vampire.  
  
Sitting on the lounge he went back to the computer, watching as the coded files ran through Elyan’s device.  
  
Arthur had a feeling that there was a lot of information the Knights would need to go through at a later date, sure that they would find information that they would have to act on.  
  
Arthur was so engrossed in his task that he couldn’t help but look up in shock when he was pushed back against the lounge. Merlin pulled out the device and shoved it quickly into Arthur’s pocket, before climbing up and straddling Arthur’s lap.  
  
“What the he-”  
  
“Someone’s coming,” Merlin whispered into his ear, Arthur feeling heat run through him as Merlin’s body moved against his, unable to ignore the fact that Merlin was practically sitting in his lap, his arms around Arthur’s neck.  
  
“We could hide,” Arthur whispered back, hands resting on Merlin’s hips, starting to push him away.  
  
“Werewolves,” was all Merlin said, before his lips were on Arthur’s. They were soft at first, searching, Merlin’s tongue sweeping softly against his lower lip. Arthur felt his will crumble, his mind blanking on why this was a bad idea.  
  
He opened his mouth to Merlin’s questing tongue, the kiss quickly becoming needy and desperate. Arthur’s hands moved from Merlin’s hips around to his back, pulling Merlin closer.  
  
“Hey, you can’t be in here.”  
  
Merlin pulled back from Arthur, Arthur unable to tear his gaze away from Merlin’s golden one, before Merlin turned to look at whoever had spoken.  
  
“What?” Merlin asked the man, slurring the word a little.  
  
“You need to leave,” the goon said, Arthur taking in the man’s bulky body.  
  
“Sorry, was just trying to find somewhere more … private,” Merlin replied, Arthur barely stopping the groan that wanted to leave him when Merlin swivelled his hips.  
  
“We’ll leave,” Arthur said, surprised at how husky his voice sounded. He moved his hands to Merlin’s hips, pushing the man off him, equal parts relieved and disappointed when Merlin moved.  
  
“Let’s go find somewhere to finish this,” Merlin whispered huskily, grabbing Arthur’s hand, and dragging him out of the room. Arthur tried to pull his hand out of the vampire’s grip once they made it to the dance floor, but Merlin only gripped tighter, sending Arthur a glare, before continuing towards the door.  
  
Lance looked at them with curiosity, small smile on his face when he met Arthur’s eyes, Arthur able to see the amusement in the other man’s eyes. He let himself be pulled until they got outside, and then pulled at his hand. Merlin let him go with a glare, Arthur glaring back, until he heard a chuckle.  
  
“Didn’t realise we were here for that kind of stake out, Princess,” Gwaine said as he made his way towards them. “Hello again, Merlin.”  
  
“Gwaine,” Merlin replied, giving the man a grin. Arthur tried to ignore the sharp ache that went through him at the smile Merlin was giving the other knight, telling himself that Merlin could smile at whoever he wanted to and that he wasn’t jealous. There was nothing for him to be jealous over.  
  
“We should go,” he snapped, glad when Merlin and Gwaine stopped grinning at each other. “Get the information to Elyan.”  
  
“Do you need a lift, Merlin?” Gwaine asked, moving closer to the vampire.  
  
“Nah, I’m fine,” Merlin replied, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking on his feet.  
  
“Are you sure?” Lance asked, concern on his face.  
  
“I parked not far from here,” Merlin said, and Arthur could tell the vampire was lying, but didn’t call him on it. Merlin could probably get home quicker running than it would take them to drive him there. “I’ll tell Gwen you said ‘hi’?”  
  
Arthur watched as his usually unflappable knight blushed, Lance nodding his head once, before saying goodbye to Merlin and making his way to the car, Gwaine following him.  
  
“You sure you’re okay to get home?” Arthur found himself asking, unable to stop himself before the question left him.  
  
“I’ll be fine,” Merlin answered, smile widening, Arthur trying to ignore the way it made his eyes shine. “Just stay out of trouble.”  
  
Before Arthur could respond that he wasn’t in any trouble, Merlin had disappeared. Turning, he headed towards the car, small smile on his face as he climbed in. He refused to think of what it was that had made the smile cross his face.

 

“This is amazing,” Elyan said, as he came into Arthur’s office, staring at the papers in his hands.  
  
“What did you find?” Arthur asked.  
  
“The information you were able to download had years’ worth of data,” Elyan answered, sitting down in the chair across from Arthur. “It’s going to take months to get through it all and that’s not even half of what was on that computer you hacked.”  
  
“Anything on the ‘Wrath of Magic’?” Arthur asked.  
  
“Yeah,” Elyan replied, standing up and making his way to the whiteboard, pinning a map to it. “You remember that map we found, with all the buidlings?”  
  
Arthur nodded, standing up and moving over to Elyan.  
  
“Well, I think I know what it is now,” he continued, picking up a marker pen and drawing the four spots they knew. “In the information, it talks about a five point star, connected with water and magic.”  
  
“Water and magic?”  
  
“A Sidhe and Sorcerer,” Elyan replied. “I’m not sure how it’s all connected, the information cuts off before it gets to that. But I do know they need water, a Sidhe and a Sorcerer, surrounded by five points of power and magic. The connection will allow magic to flow like water, but that’s where the information stops. It doesn’t say exactly what the ‘Wrath’ part of the ritual means, or why the creatures would want to set it loose.”  
  
“We have four of the five points,” Arthur murmured, staring at the map. “And I’m assuming the ‘water’ is somewhere in the middle.”  
  
“I think I know what they’re going to use,” Elyan said, circling a place on the map. Leaning closer, Arthur frowned as he recognised the address.  
  
“That’s crazy, there’s no water there, Elyan.”  
  
“There’s a fountain, Arthur,” Elyan replied, staring at him intensely. “And it doesn’t say it has to be a large amount. It fits, an equal distance from all the points we have so far.”  
  
“You think they would use the fountain in the Pendragon building?” Arthur asked, his stomach sinking. It made sense to him, a hit back at the man that had started hunting them down, a chance to let loose their wrath on the man most would want it on.  
  
“Where better to let loose their magic then in the building of the man who’s caused them fear for so long?” Elyan replied.  
  
“So they need this ‘Emrys’ to be their Sorcerer,” Arthur said, running the equation through his mind.  
  
“And a Sidhe,” Elyan continued, frowning as he stared at the board. “Thing is there aren’t any of them around here, haven’t been for years, at least from what our informants tell us.”  
  
Arthur nodded, before the image of a woman surrounded by water with shining blue eyes, came to his mind.  
  
“Son of a-”  
  
Shaking his head, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, as some of the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Why Sophia had been taken, why Aulfric had reacted the way he had. He wondered if Aulfric had been contacted, or knew about the ‘Wrath of Magic’ and what it entailed.  
  
“What?” Elyan asked, looking at Arthur and the board, trying to figure out what had set Arthur off.  
  
“Sophia,” Arthur replied.  
  
Elyan stared at him for a long moment, before comprehension dawned on his face.  
  
“You thinks she’s a-”  
  
“It makes sense,” Arthur answered. “Explains why they took her and kept her alive. Maybe they can’t turn her because then they lose the element they need.”  
  
“Or they just don’t want to take that risk,” Elyan added.  
  
“So we know where they’re going to hit,” Arthur said, “and we know one of the who’s.”  
  
“If we can find Emrys before them, maybe we could use him to lead us to the rest of them?” Elyan said.  
  
“Except we have no idea who he is or even where he is,” Arthur replied, making his way back to his desk, running his hand through his hair. “No, we need to focus on what we know already. Pendragon Industries, Sophia, the four points. We’ll start surveillance on all the spots and as soon as we see even the slightest hint of movement, we take them out. Stop this ritual before it can even start.”  
  
**  
  
 _Arthur couldn’t help but follow the planes of the body next to him with his hands, unable to lie next to the other man without touching him. He let his hands slowly map the arms and chest, gently stroking down the flanks and across the stomach.  
  
“I hope you aren’t going to stop there.”  
  
Grinning up at the sleepy voice, blue eyes met gold and Arthur couldn’t help but lean down and kiss the soft lips, the kiss deepening as the lips responded to his touch.  
  
“Merlin,” he whispered, running his hands through the raven locks, happiness flowing through him, before his head snapped to the door.  
  
“Arthur?” Merlin asked, leaning up on his elbows, looking towards the door as well. “There’s nothing there.”  
  
Merlin tried to turn his head, kissing along his neck, but Arthur couldn’t tear his eyes away from the door, knowing in his gut that something bad was about to happen. He was proven right in the next second, the door being kicked off its hinges, a dark, bulky shape making its way in through the door.  
  
He felt his heart freeze for a second, before he was moving, pulling out his gun and rolling out of bed, only to freeze as he heard a gunshot that hadn’t come from his gun. Turning his head, he watched in shock as Merlin slumped, his heart leaping into his throat as he scrambled onto the bed.  
  
“Merlin,” he murmured, reaching out and touching the man, staring at the blood that was on his hands, before a bark of laughter had his head snapping to the door.  
  
The figure moved forward and Arthur realised he knew the figure.  
  
“Valiant,” he whispered, as his eyes met cruel, black one’s._  
  
Waking with a jolt, Arthur looked around the room, heart rate slowing as he saw the bed next to him was empty, no one standing in the door way, no one bleeding on his comforter. It was just a dream, though it had felt so real.  
  
It wasn’t until he lay back down that he realised that the dream wasn’t the only thing that had woken him, his phone ringing and vibrating on the night stand next to him. Reaching over, he ran a hand over his face as he answered the call.  
  
“Hello? Pendragon speaking.”  
  
“Hello, Arthur.”  
  
Freezing, Arthur felt his heart and breath stop for a second, before starting again, his hand tightening into a fist around the phone.  
  
“Valiant,” he muttered, jaw clenched, his teeth gritted so the name came out more like a growl.  
  
“I’m so glad you remember me, little boy. I had thought I left an impression, but you never can be too sure.”  
  
“Why are you calling me?” Arthur asked, moving out of bed and making his way over to his computer.  
  
“Oh, I’m hurt, can’t … friends call each other and catch up?” Valiant asked, that bark of laughter Arthur had heard in his dream sounding through the phone.  
  
“We’re not friends,” he growled, trying to keep his tapping on the computer down, not wanting Valiant to catch on to what he was doing.  
  
“But we spent so many glorious hours together,” Valiant mocked. “I thought those hours we spent together were so _special_.”  
  
Arthur couldn’t help but grip his phone harder, his jaw sore at how hard he was clenching his teeth. He didn’t hate many people with a blind rage, even the creatures he hunted he didn’t hate with this passion, but Valiant was someone he would take pleasure in killing when he found him.  
  
“I still remember it vividly, Arthur,” Valiant continued. “I can’t wait to revisit those hours with you again.”  
  
“Not if I find you first,” Arthur replied, smirk crossing his face as the computer finally gave him what he wanted.  
  
“Oh, I’m sure you and your little team will find me, Pendragon. Seeing as you couldn’t take me by yourself.”  
  
“I don’t need the Knights to take you down, dog,” Arthur replied, envisioning all the ways he planned to hurt the thing on the other side of the phone.  
  
“We both know you can’t do anything by yourself, _Wart_. First there was Daddy, there to make sure no one hurt a strand on your golden little head. And now there’s your so called Knights. You really are pathetic.”  
  
“When I find you, Valiant, you’ll regret ever coming here.” Arthur tried to control his breathing knowing that he was breathing faster than usual, heart racing, an almost red haze entering his vision.  
  
“I’ll be seeing you, little boy,” Valiant taunted before hanging up.  
  
Staring at his computer screen, at the tiny red dot on the map, Arthur felt satisfaction run through him.  
  
“You sure will.”  
  
**  
  
Arthur knew he should’ve called someone, should’ve called one of the knights to watch his back, but a part of him couldn’t help but remember Valiant’s words. He didn’t need his team to take a dog down, had been doing it long before his men joined him in the hunt.  
  
It was most likely what Valiant wanted, but Arthur had the upper hand this time. He knew where Valiant was, and he hadn’t wasted any time making his way to where the map on his computer told him the werewolf was. He wasn’t stupid though, had staked out the area, watched and waited.  
  
He would finish Valiant, finish the loose end of that case, and the werewolf might be able to give him information about Sophia before Arthur ended him. Although Arthur doubted it.  
  
Getting out of his car, he made his way slowly towards the building, lurking in the shadows, controlling his breathing and heart rate, mind slipping into his Hunter’s mode. He almost missed the slight movement out of the corner of his eye, but was quick to pull his stake, swinging around to move towards the alley way that had caught his eye.  
  
Moving slowly, he looked at the shadows, looking for the darkness that seemed out of place. He had had a lot of practice at finding things in the pitch dark, it was all about tones, finding the darkness that seemed to be more. It was something his father had told him he was gifted with, none of his men or Uther able to see what Arthur could see.  
  
He slowed as he picked up the slight change in darkness off to his right, not moving until he was right beside it. He took one deep breath and then dove to the right, feeling satisfaction when he connected, an ‘oomph’ coming from the body he hit as they collided into the wall and then onto the ground.  
  
Quickly rolling away, Arthur crouched in the defensive position, faking to the left before diving forwards again, arm with the stake aiming for the heart, only to be stopped by a strong arm. Before he knew it he was up against the wall, face mashed against it, arm pulled up behind his back, as a warm body pushed into him.  
  
The creature had moved faster than anything Arthur had ever seen or fought before, and he couldn’t help but shiver, whole body singing with sensation at the need to fight.  
  
“Calm down,” a voice hissed into his ear, and it only took him a moment to recognise it.  
  
“ _Mer_ lin?” he asked, trying to pull free, only for his arm to be gripped harder. “Let me go.”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Excuse me?” Arthur said.  
  
Even though he knew what Merlin was, he couldn’t help but be surprised that it was Merlin who was holding him against the wall, holding his arm up against his back, refusing to let him go.  
  
“What the hell are you doing here, Arthur?” Merlin whispered, hot breath against Arthur’s ear making Arthur shiver.  
  
“What the hell are _you_ doing here?” Arthur replied, struggling to get his arm free again, only to stop when his shoulder started aching due to Merlin’s strong, unrelenting grip.  
  
“Tell me you weren’t actually going to go against Valiant by yourself?”  
  
Arthur froze. How did the other man know what he’d been about to do?  
  
“What are you doing here?” Arthur shot back, not willing to admit that had been exactly what he was going to do.  
  
“Trying to stop you from doing something stupid,” Merlin replied, breath wafting against Arthur’s neck, making him shiver.  
  
“I was just doing recon,” Arthur said as he stopped struggling, leaning more heavily into the wall. This seemed to be some sign for Merlin, the vampire letting his grip on Arthur’s arm go and taking a step back.  
  
Turning, Arthur took in the slight glow to Merlin’s eyes, part of him thinking that they suited Merlin, before he reminded himself that they were a sign of the monster that lay underneath the supposedly clumsy exterior and not something that made them pretty.  
  
Merlin snorted, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.  
  
“Recon?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
“Yes, Merlin,” Arthur replied, mimicking the gesture. “Recon. It means gathering information so that you can make a planned attack.”  
  
“You weren’t doing recon,” Merlin said.  
  
“Yes, I was.”  
  
“No you weren’t.”  
  
“Was.”  
  
“I know you weren’t, Arthur,” Merlin replied. “You were going to do something stupid because Valiant baited you.”  
  
“I was not … wait, what do you know about Valiant ‘baiting’ me?” Arthur asked, leaning forwards, glaring at the vampire. An embarrassed look crossed Merlin’s face, before it became more determined.  
  
“It doesn’t matter, what matters is that you were going to do something stupid,” Merlin said, crossing his arms.  
  
Before Arthur could respond that it did in fact matter how Merlin knew, he was hit from the side, the force pushing him to the ground, a large weight on top of him. Rolling to the side, he managed to get on his back, before the body that had hit him tackled him again.  
  
“Hello, little boy.”  
  
Arthur gritted his teeth as he looked up into the familiar face, his dream flashing before his eyes, before he moved. Slamming his feet down, he was able to shift quickly to the left, rolling out from under the werewolf, Valiant clearly not ready for him moving quickly.  
  
He continued to move, quickly getting to his feet, and pulling Excalibur from his belt. He could hear the sounds of a fight going on behind him, and his mind briefly went to the man who’d been occupying his thoughts, before Valiant leaped towards him again.  
  
Arthur dove to the right, Valiant just missing him, before wheeling around and growling. Arthur knew that he couldn’t take the man on one on one, that he had to keep moving, tire the werewolf down, and then make his move.  
  
They continued on like that for awhile, Valiant diving towards him and Arthur dodging him, getting in a hit here and there with Excalibur, the stake somehow draining some of Valiant’s strength from him. Merlin seemed to be holding his own against the other two werewolves, Arthur briefly wondering who would win in a one on one fight between the two creatures, before his attention was drawn back to his own fight.  
  
A flash of light drew his eyes back to Merlin, Arthur watching in shock as the two men collapsed to the ground under the bricks that had suddenly fallen on them, Merlin’s eyes glowing gold. The distraction cost Arthur, Valiant tackling him, getting in two punches to the stomach and one to the back, making Arthur lose the grip he had on his stake. Before Arthur knew it there was a thick arm wrapped around his throat, the other around his waist.  
  
“Stop,” Valiant growled, Arthur quickly realising he wasn’t talking to him, wasn’t telling him to stop struggling, but rather directing it at Merlin.  
  
Merlin froze, hand outstretched, face showing the anger the vampire was clearly feeling. Arthur couldn’t help but notice how dangerous Merlin looked, how strong and powerful, how _vampiric_.  
  
“You try anything and I snap his pretty little neck,” Valiant continued, gripping Arthur harder around the throat. Black dots started to dance across his vision, Arthur gasping as he tried to get air into his lungs.

 

“Kill him and I’ll end you,” Merlin answered, voice low and threatening.  
  
“He’ll still be dead though,” Valiant taunted, Arthur trying to meet Merlin’s eyes, to tell him to take his shot if he had one. He would gladly sacrifice his life to take Valiant out. Merlin stared at him then, Arthur seeing the moment he made the decision to lower his hand.  
  
“No,” he gasped out, holding Merlin’s eyes and trying to tell him to take the shot. The one word had Valiant gripping him even tighter, the blackness crowding the edges of his vision.  
  
“There’s a smart boy,” Valiant said to Merlin, Arthur wanting to hit the man for degrading the vampire.  
  
Arthur saw two people come up behind Merlin, one of them the blonde vampire he’d fought back when they’d first started looking for Sophia, when Merlin had saved him the first time.  
  
“Hello, Merlin,” the blonde purred into Merlin’s ear, grinning at Arthur’s glare. “It’s been too long.”  
  
“Morgause,” Merlin replied, his face a blank mask, Arthur surprised at the lack of emotion.  
  
“I knew he’d be your downfall,” Morgause continued, hand caressing Merlin’s cheek, nails trailing along it, the sight making anger run through Arthur. “You care too much for these pathetic mortals, Emrys. Him in particular.”  
  
Emrys? Merlin was Emrys? Looking over at the other man, Arthur tried to put what he’d learnt about Emrys together with what he knew about Merlin. And he just couldn’t see it. Merlin was a sorcerer who would change their world as they knew it? Would lead this ‘Wrath of Magic’?  
  
“What do you want, Morgause?” Merlin bit out, turning to glare at the woman, his eyes golden.  
  
“You know what we want, Emrys,” she replied, walking past him and towards Arthur.  
  
Unlike Merlin’s golden gaze, Morgause’s gaze made his skin crawl in a way that had him itching to grab his stake and attack.  
  
“He is very pretty, I’ll give you that,” she continued, hand reaching out and stroking Arthur’s cheek like she had Merlin’s. A low growl came from behind her, and Arthur was surprised to see it had come from Merlin, the other vampire’s face full of rage.  
  
“Touchy,” Morgause said, cruel grin crossing her face. “I’m here to make a deal with you, Emrys. You do what we want, and we don’t kill your little blonde boy toy.”  
  
“Let him go,” Merlin replied. Morgause laughed, stroking Arthur’s chest, the feel of it making Arthur shudder in revulsion.  
  
“We’re not stupid, Emrys. Now, Valiant’s men here are going to take Arthur somewhere … safe. And you’re going to do what we tell you to without a fuss. You have my word that we will release him in perfect health.”  
  
Arthur could see the moment Merlin agreed, tried to shout out to the other man that he wasn’t worth it, but Valiant seemed to realise and pulled his arm tighter. The blackness quickly crowded his vision, his head becoming light, as his surroundings started to feel a long way away from him, everything feeling surreal.  
  
“I’ll do it, if I have your word.” Was the last thing Arthur heard before he lost consciousness.  
  
**  
  
Arthur felt himself jerk awake, trying to place what had woken him. It wasn’t until he looked around and saw the cell he was in, the small bare room, bars in front of him, that it all came back to him. Valiant, Merlin, the fight, and the fact that Merlin was Emrys.  
  
Looking around the cell again, he froze as he saw a figure at the door, staring in at him. He knew he should feel uneasy, should wonder if the figure had come to finish him, but he didn’t, a sense of safety and calm washing over him.  
  
“Who are you?” Arthur finally asked quietly, after the figure had remained standing and staring at him.  
  
“A … friend,” the woman replied, voice kind. The voice sounded familiar, something in his heart clenching, telling him that he knew the voice, had heard it before, he just couldn’t place it. No matter how he strained his eyes, Arthur could only see her outline, the hood covering her face in darkness.  
  
“What do you want with me?” Arthur asked.  
  
“Nothing,” the woman answered, a slender hand reaching out from the robe and gripping one of the bars. “Just to help.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“I can get you out of here,” the woman said, ignoring his question, taking a step back and kicking the jail door open. “The rest will be up to you.”  
  
“Rest of what?” Arthur asked warily, standing up.  
  
“The Knight in shining armour, of course,” she replied, holding her hand out. It took Arthur a moment to realise she was holding out Excalibur, the stake almost glowing silver in the dark cell where it lay on her palm.  
  
“The pieces are all in place. They have their Sidhe, their points of power and magic, and now they have the Sorcerer. You don’t have much time to get there and stop them.”  
  
“I’m not sure I can,” he whispered, not sure why he was confessing his fear to the stranger he didn’t know. He couldn’t help but flinch as the woman appeared right in front of him.  
  
“Of course you can,” she murmured, hand reaching out and cupping his cheek. Arthur couldn’t help but lean into the hand, something about the woman making him trust her, part of him wanting to stay here in this moment. “Your men are almost here. Good luck, Arthur.”  
  
Before he could move, the woman had disappeared, the cell door open, Excalibur in his hand. Arthur pushed his thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind, putting them away to be looked at later, if ever. Right now he had to stop the creatures from completing their ritual and save the people involved.  
  
He couldn’t help but feel something like panic when he thought of Merlin in the ritual, something in him clenching hard at the thought of the vampire being hurt.  
  
Making his way cautiously out of the cell, Arthur felt himself slip into the Hunter role that he’d spent so long perfecting. He was able to push everything back, just leaving the calm analytical hunter that he needed to be.  
  
He didn’t meet anyone until he got to the top of the stairs, the two hulking men who had just started down the stairs, looking down at him in shock before charging down the stairs. Dodging to the side, Arthur managed to trip one of them by kicking up, before the other one reached out towards him.  
  
Arthur was lucky he was on the stair case, the man’s bulk actually a disadvantage with the limited space they had to move in. Add in the fact that Arthur was fast and trained, and he was able to dodge in close and use his stake to incapacitate the man, who quickly joined his colleague at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
Not waiting to see if the two men were getting up, knowing that every second counted, Arthur ran up the stairs, making his way quickly along a corridor. He couldn’t recall the way out, but had a feeling that he was heading in the right direction.  
  
“Arthur!”  
  
Arthur couldn’t help but slump a little as he saw Leon, never so relieved to see the man in his life.  
  
“Are you alright?” Leon asked, as he ran up to him, eyes running over Arthur’s face.  
  
“We have to get to Pendragon Industries,” Arthur replied, gripping the man’s shoulder, before pushing past him, not willing to dwell on the aches and pains he could only just feel, the adrenaline making the pain almost non-existent.  
  
“Wha- Arthur?” Leon called, following him as Arthur followed the sense that was leading him outside.  
  
By the time they made it outside, the rest of the Knights were already waiting, Leon clearly having told them that he’d found Arthur and where they now needed to go. Wincing a little as he got into the car, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was already too late, if the Valiant and the rest of his crew had already started the ritual.  
  
Lance sent him one concerned look before putting the car into gear, peeling out of the lot they’d been in with a squeal of tyres. As they drove, Arthur filled the Knights in, never more grateful for how loyal and professional his team were until that moment. The men asked a few questions, but didn’t doubt his word for a second.  
  
They decided to split into two groups; Gwaine, Elyan and Percival would go after Sophia, while Arthur, Leon and Lance would try and stop the ritual from happening.  
  
“What do you think it’ll do?” Lance asked quietly, as they drove. “If they do release the ‘Wrath of Magic’.”  
  
“Do we really want to find out?” Gwaine replied, Arthur seeing him checking his guns out of the corner of his eye. He felt his hand curl more tightly around Excalibur, the feel of the cold metal settling him.  
  
“Whatever it is, it means something bad for us humans,” Gwaine continued. “Probably turn us all into zombie slaves or something.”  
  
The car fell silent after that, each of the men focusing on what they were headed to do. As they pulled into a spot down the street from Pendragon Inc. Arthur couldn’t help the shiver that ran through him, goosebumps erupting on his skin as he got out of the car  
  
He’d been in the area plenty of times, both during the day and night, but the place had never seemed so foreboding before. The street had never seemed so empty, so desolate, the feeling crawling over Arthur’s body.  
  
The Knights made their way quickly towards the building, Arthur surprised that they met no creatures on their way before they were crouched behind a row of bushes across from Pendragon Inc. From their spot Arthur could see right into the main reception area.  
  
He felt his heart clench when he recognised Merlin, the vampire tied to something in the middle of the fountain, the water flowing around him making him look ethereal, like the supernatural being he actually was. The blonde, Morgause was standing in front of him, with three werewolves, Arthur sure one of them was Valiant, skulking around the room.  
  
Arthur knew the building so well that he had already planned which doors the Knights would be using and with one motion of his hand, his team were moving. Leon and Lance followed him to one of the side doors, whilst the others headed to the back entrance. Keeping look out, Arthur waited for Leon to pick the lock, running through the plans of the building in his head, finding the quickest path to the fountain.  
  
Leon had the door opened in a few minutes, giving Arthur a quick nod, before pulling the door open. Arthur went in first, moving slowly and as covertly as he could. He knew that the beings would hear them anyway, but hopefully they would be so focused on the ritual that they wouldn’t hear them until the Knights were in position.  
  
He was surprised at how calm he had become, the soft weight of Excalibur at his hip, gun in his hand as he moved down the corridor, Leon and Lance flanking him. It didn’t take them long to make it to the reception area.  
  
Crouching down, Arthur felt Leon and Lance doing the same behind him, as the three men took in the tableau in front of them.  
  
Arthur couldn’t help but take in Merlin, tied to the stake, the vampire looking relatively unharmed, before his eyes were dragged away to a sobbing person off to the side, her blonde hair a mess, eyes puffy and red, tears streaming down her face.  
  
Sophia Trimor.  
  
“Please, please don’t do this,” she sobbed, chest hitching, her eyes taking in Morgause and Valiant, who had come to stand behind the blonde vampire.  
  
“But it’s what you and your kind want,” Morgause replied, Arthur hearing the smirk in her voice. “Your chance to return to Avalon.”  
  
“I don’t want that anymore,” Sophia whispered, shaking her head, breaths increasing as a creature came up behind her, dragging her over to the water and throwing her in.  
  
“And yet you don’t really have a choice in the matter,” Morgause answered, staring at the drenched girl for a long moment, before looking up at Merlin.  
  
“Are you ready, Emrys?” she asked, Arthur feeling anger start to simmer in him at the smug look on the woman’s face.  
  
The vampire raised her hand, her eyes taking on the golden hue that Arthur had seen in Merlin’s eyes in his dreams, before she started chanting something.  
  
“Move in,” he whispered into his comm unit, knowing the other Knights had been waiting for his move.  
  
In a flash, the calm scene that had been in front of them burst into chaos, the Knights moving in in quick formation. Arthur left his men to do their job, knowing that he had to get to Morgause, to stop the vampire who hadn’t even glanced at what was going on, her mouth still moving.  
  
Unfortunately to get to the vampire, meant he first had to go through Valiant.  
  
“I’m so glad you could join us, little boy,” Valiant snarled.  
  
Arthur didn’t allow himself to be dragged into useless banter, firing off shots in quick succession, gritting his teeth when Valiant managed to dodge them all. Deep down he had known that it would come to close combat, that he would have to replay the scene that had almost cost him his life the first time he’d gone up against Valiant.  
  
Holstering his gun, he pulled Excalibur out, feeling a strange kind of strength run through him as the stake sat in his hand. He ignored the feeling, sure that it was just the rush of adrenaline through him, and quickly dodged to the side when Valiant charged him.  
  
When it came down to brute strength, Valiant would win every time, so he had to use his speed and agility, use it to get close enough to plunge the stake into Valiant’s heart.  
  
Arthur dodged another one of Valiant’s charges, rolling on the ground before flipping back onto his feet, moving in quick enough to stab Valiant. Unfortunately the werewolf had seen it coming, able to get his arm in the way, the beefy flesh of his forearm taking the blow, and then knocking Arthur into a wall.  
  
Groaning, Arthur ignored his screaming ribs, ignored the bruises and aches from his earlier fight with the creature in front of him, knowing that time was running out, that he had to get to Morgause and save Merlin.  
  
“Afraid to fight me like a man?” Valiant growled, his face twisted in a vicious snarl.  
  
Arthur refused to respond, knowing that Valiant was simply trying to bait him into losing his concentration. He only just managed to get his feet under him and away from the wall before Valiant was there. Rolling under the outstretched arm, he turned quickly, using all his force to stab Valiant in the back, only to be struck so hard across the face that everything went black.  
  
He woke up on the floor, what must have been only seconds later, to find Valiant crouching over him.  
  
“You know what your problem is, little boy?” Valiant sneered, as he lifted Arthur up by his shirt. “You overestimate yourself.”  
  
Arthur stared up into the cold eyes, small smile crossing his face as his hands curled into fists at his side.  
  
“You know what your problem is, dog?” Arthur gritted back. “You overestimate _yourself_.”  
  
And with that, he lifted the fist that held Excalibur, plunging it into Valiant’s chest, right where his heart was beating. He couldn’t help the surge of satisfaction that ran through him at the shocked look on the werewolf’s face, the creature’s eyes dropping to his chest where Arthur’s hand still held onto the stake.  
  
The werewolf didn’t have time to do anything more than stare, before tipping forwards and collapsing on top of Arthur, making all the aches and pains in the man scream. Pushing the heavy weight off, he pulled the stake out, letting himself take a few deep breaths, before the noises around him filtered in.  
  
He still had a vampire to stop.  
  
Struggling to his feet, he couldn’t help the shocked gasp that left him, as he witnessed the tableau in front of him. Morgause was still chanting, but she was covered in what looked like a silver light, which on closer inspection was actually a thin stream of water. Merlin was surrounded in the same, the water wrapped all around him, although he also had a gold light which was rising from his body to meet it.  
  
“Merlin,” he whispered, the aches and pains disappearing when their eyes met, the vampire staring at him, before his head was thrown back in a silent scream.  
  
Moving quickly, Arthur ran towards the blonde vampire, knowing it wouldn’t be hard to end the creature, what with the way Morgause was so focused on what was going on in front of her. Leaping towards the woman, Arthur’s stake only just managed to graze her before he was hit with a pain that brought him to his knees. He still tried three more times, trying from different angles, once trying to use his gun, but he couldn’t get close to the woman without the intense pain forcing him to stop.  
  
Taking a few shuddering breaths, he allowed himself to take in the full picture. The silvery stream of water wasn’t only surrounding Morgause and Merlin, but was connecting them, them and Sophia, the three locked in some kind of conduit. He couldn’t help but wonder if he managed to break the conduit whether he would be able to get to Morgause.  
  
Changing his tact, he decided to try and free Sophia, the Sidhe looking like the easiest to remove. Moving towards the girl they had been searching for, he was glad to see Gwaine was already there, the brunette holding his own against what he could see now was a vampire.  
  
The other Knight saw him coming, and quickly changed his attacks so that Arthur could end the vampire quickly.  
  
“Would’ve gotten him in the end,” Gwaine panted, Arthur nodding already focused on the girl in front of them.  
  
Reaching out, he wasn’t surprised when the pain ran up his arm, gritting his teeth as his legs went weak. Gwaine was there in an instant, worried eyes taking in Arthur, hand reaching out to steady him.  
  
“You look like crap, Princess,” he murmured, before turning and taking in the scene in front of them.  
  
“We have to break it,” Arthur replied, knowing the other man wouldn’t push about Arthur’s health right now. “They’re all linked somehow, but if we try and get close there’s a shock of pain.”  
  
“We’ll find a way, Arthur,” Gwaine said, before they were interrupted by another vampire.  
  
“I’ve got this, you find a way to break the ritual.”  
  
Arthur felt torn, wanting to help the other man, but knowing that they needed to end the ritual now. Everything he tried failed, Arthur at the point where he was only just standing on his feet. It wasn’t until the latest go that he realised that he was having some affect. Whilst his hand was touching Sophia, even for a second, the conduit was broken, the water losing its silver look. It was then he realised he could stop the ritual.  
  
Moving closer to Merlin, he met the vampire’s golden blue gaze, seeing the confusion creep into them as Arthur stopped next to him.  
  
“I wish that I hadn’t been such a prejudiced prat,” he whispered, realising it was true. He wished that he hadn’t let his father’s teaching turn him away from someone who he clearly was meant to know, who clearly was meant to be something important in Arthur’s life, if his dreams were anything to go on.  
  
“But I’m here now,” he continued, staring into the vampire’s eyes. It wasn’t until he was moving closer, his hand reaching out, that Merlin seemed to realise what was going on. The other man shook his head, a silent ‘no’ leaving his mouth, as Arthur reached out.  
  
The pain was unlike anything that Arthur had ever felt, rushing over his entire body, making it feel like he was drowning and on fire at the same time. One good thing about the pain was that it made his hand clamp down on the arm he was holding, Arthur glad Merlin was a vampire and so wouldn’t feel the pain the same way a human would.  
  
He felt his mouth open, but couldn’t say whether he was actually making a noise, his whole world consumed by the agony that ran through him, which seemed to last an age before the whiteness took him away.  
  
**  
  
Arthur woke slowly, his eyes taking in the room, trying to figure out where he was, his mind slow to put the pieces together, which meant he was on the good pain killers. And also meant he was most likely in hospital.  
  
“You know if I wasn’t so happy you were alive, I’d kill you myself.”  
  
Looking up, he took in Morgana’s cross face, not missing the concern and worry that was clear to see in her eyes, as his sister strode into the room.  
  
“What happened?” he asked, looking around for water when he struggled to get the words out of his dry mouth.  
  
“You almost killed yourself,” Morgana answered, sauntering into the room and sitting on the bed next to him, handing him a cup of water with a straw in it. Arthur took it from her, greedily sucking the water down, only to glare when it was taken away from him earlier than he would’ve liked.  
  
“And then the injuries you sustained from the fights you’d had almost killed you,” she continued, crossing her arms. “Luckily the Knights got you back here in enough time to stop the blood in your lungs from _killing_ you, and the other injuries, while painful, will heal with time.”  
  
“The girl?” Arthur asked, knowing Leon would have told Morgana most of what had happened.  
  
“Fine,” Morgana answered. “And reunited with her father, who wants to thank you in person when you’re fit enough.”  
  
Arthur nodded, the feeling of satisfaction he always got when a mission was finished running through him. There was one more thing he wanted to ask, one more person he wanted to ask about, but he didn’t know if Morgana knew about Merlin, didn’t know if the Knights had known Merlin was even there. And he didn’t want to out the vampire to his crew.  
  
“Are you ready to tell me what’s going on between you and Emerson now?”  
  
Whipping his head to face his sister, Arthur gritted his teeth at the pain that shot through him.  
  
“And don’t say nothing, Wart,” Morgana continued. “He’s been hanging around this ward so much that even the janitor has noticed.”  
  
Arthur felt his muscles relax, the tension that he hadn’t even realised was there fading away. Before Arthur could respond, the door opened, a familiar raven head entering. Morgana looked over at the door, before turning back to Arthur with a knowing smile.  
  
“Don’t think we won’t be finishing this conversation later, Wart,” she whispered, leaning forward and kissing him on the forehead, before standing and sauntering out.  
  
Arthur watched her go, before turning his eyes to the man in the room. Gone was the predatory look he’d seen before he’d blacked out, Merlin standing and staring at his shoes, a blush crossing his cheeks, before he looked up at Arthur.  
  
“Hi.”  
  
“Hi,” Arthur replied, pushing himself to sit up, not even noticing the sheet falling away from his chest until he heard Merlin’s low sound, his eyes taking in the bandages that covered Arthur’s chest.  
  
“It’s worse than it looks,” Arthur joked.  
  
“It really isn’t,” Merlin replied, taking a step into the room and closing the door.  
  
“I’ll be fine,” Arthur answered, eyes watching as Merlin moved closer to the bed, one small step at a time.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Merlin whispered, Arthur unable to stop the surprise that ran through him when Merlin was standing beside him, hand reaching out and gentle running down the bandages.  
  
“It wasn’t your fault,” Arthur replied, feeling breathless.  
  
“I should’ve stopped it before it got there,” Merlin said, hand running over the bandages, before moving over the skin above the bandages. Arthur shook his head, wondering if Merlin could hear his heart, the sound of it rushing in Arthur’s ears.  
  
“And then at the end … I let you down. I …”  
  
“No,” Arthur replied, shaking his head, grabbing Merlin’s hand and pulling him closer. “It’s the job I do. I’m going to get hurt, Merlin.”  
  
Merlin’s gaze met his, Arthur unable to suppress the shiver as the familiar tingling sensation ran over him.  
  
“But you’ll have to get used to this happening,” he continued. “Because it’s what I do.”  
  
Merlin snorted then, smile spreading across his face, Arthur unable to stop his own from growing.  
  
“What makes you think I want to hang around?” Merlin asked, looking at Arthur a little slyly.  
  
“You love me,” Arthur responded. And even though he had meant it as a joke, the way the sensation jumped over his body made him think that he could be close to the truth. Which was crazy, they barely knew each other.  
  
Any other thoughts he had disappeared as Merlin leaned forward, soft lips covering his, gently moving over Arthur’s top lip and bottom lip in a caress that had Arthur wanting more.  
  
“I really do,” Merlin whispered, before covering Arthur’s mouth again.  
  
 **END**

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I still can't believe that I finished finally!!!


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